


998

by arcaneGash



Series: But the Stars Bring Balance [1]
Category: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Genre: Canon Trans Character, F/F, Gen, Main Character is an OC, Nonbinary Character, rated for language, the entire universe is based on my headcanons pretty much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-07-23 21:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 69,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7479849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcaneGash/pseuds/arcaneGash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the Shadow Queen's defeat at the hands of the legendary hero Mario, a Shadow Siren is born in the darkest corners of the Creepy Steeple. The implications are deadly.</p><p>BEING REVISED AS OF 5/22/2018 (see addendum of notes on chapter 1)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue/A Siren Is Born

**Author's Note:**

> alright so this is something i have been working on literally almost my entire summer, mostly as an excuse for me to write about my headcanons regarding vivian (my wife) and her species as a whole. if you don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every little area and detail of this game like i do (which you don't because i am the only person who cares about paper mario this much) i would heavily suggest checking out mario wiki for additional information. i tried to provide a brief synopsis of the plot and places but i don't think i did a very good job so consult the wiki when in doubt.
> 
> i guess it's also fair to mention that many of the headcanons i write about and just generally a big source of inspiration for this was this fanfic: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2356265/1/Better-Off-Alone written like ten fucking years ago. i kind of borrowed a character from that story, in name and appearance only though. i was like 11 when i first read it and was totally captivated so here's my weird little (fuckhuge) tribute to that fic that in some small part helped me cope with all the shit that was going down in my life.
> 
> this is straight up the longest thing i've ever written much less actually completed so this is a hell of a milestone actually. finger guns
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT: 5/22/2018: howdy y'all. looking back on this two years since its initial posting, i honestly hate it. i knew it wasn't like the greatest thing i'd ever written even when i posted it but my rationale was "as long as i'm happy with it, nothing else matters." well i am no longer happy with it, and seeing people currently read it when i've made (i hope) huge improvements in my writing style since then frankly agitates the hell out of me. you guys deserve my best work and nothing less.
> 
> so i've decided to revise it. i am not changing anything major like plot points, the story will remain like 99% the same. my main focus is making the narrative itself sound more mature, and fixing some character interactions and personalities, as now that i've had multiple years of thinking about and writing these characters i have a much better idea of who they are and i want this to reflect that. also there are some minor lore-related inconsistencies that i'm gonna retcon because i wrote this as i went along (i would absolutely not recommend doing that) and i've changed my mind on a lot of stuff. so unless you are Super invested in, like, the shadow queen's background (like i am) you probably won't notice any retconning.
> 
> i'm doing this a chapter at a time, basically. you can see what chapters have been fixed in the summary and in that chapter's beginning notes, like this. and when i'm done (i'm hoping i can get all this done this summer) i'm gonna crosspost the entire series to ff.net. (i don't check ff.net at all whatsoever so if this is already up there it ain't me doing it)  
> i don't anticipate revising serenata or catharsis at all so no need to worry about rereading those eventually, unless you want to of course
> 
> anyway sorry for babbling, thanks for making this my most kudosed fic (fuckin' finally surpassing all my old shameful homestuck crap), and i really hope i can turn this into a work of art that i can again be proud of and that's even more enjoyable for you

Deep belowground lies the tomb of the demon who so ravaged our world a thousand years ago. Sealed behind the great door of legend, the demon waits, ever so patiently, for the millennial seal to weaken and break, so it may wreak its havoc on the world again, and shroud the sky in darkness once more.

But the demon was not alone. Its servants, beings borne from shadow, hatred, and fear, escaped the demon’s lair before the door was sealed, thus avoiding the same fate as their master. Untrustworthy at best and violent and murderous at worst, a decree was issued across the land; kill the shadow servants on sight. Their population dwindled; within two centuries of the door’s closing, the shadow servants were gone. The innocents rejoiced. The final influence of the demon had been vanquished from every corner of the world; a new era could at last begin.

So says the legend.

-

Panic, wild, grotesque panic. The darkness provided cover, but it was still so open. Nothing was ever quiet, always the area was filled with noise, noise, noise, awful racket, never silent. The floating things with piercing eyes and enormous fangs made high pitched screechy noises, the odd organic structures hissed and snarled, the giant eye hanging over the ground was always watching, never blinking.

Then one day a creature came by. It was a living shadow, adorned with painful colors, but even so it had an allure, impossible to ignore. When startled, it caused lights to appear, lights that were so bright they burned.

-

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

A voice. Someone was speaking. In a language.

“Please, open your eyes. I promise I won’t hurt you.

Oh…no, no, please come out from under there. You poor thing.

Look, you don’t need to be scared of me. I’m…I’m just like you. Look.”

The gaunt figure stared back from the confines of the shiny box the other creature held. It made all the same movements.

“That’s you. That’s what you look like. See?”

Though the other figure moved identically, it didn’t leave a smudge of dirt on the box when it, too, pressed its clawed hand against the flat and shiny surface.

“It’s just your reflection. It won’t hurt you.”

A wheezing, rasping noise, but then a recognizable word. “Me.” The movement of the mouth was unnatural, weird.

“That’s right, it’s you! You do understand me!” The other creature, holding the reflection-box, set it down and looked excited. “Do you know your name? Do you know what you are?”

Unbidden, it shook its head, unsure of what it meant.

“Oh.” The creature deflated slightly. “You’re…uh, you’re just like me. We’re of the same race…the Shadow Sirens. Beings made of living shadow, often with associated elemental powers. Do you…do you remember anything?”

“Muh…” The act of speech was so foreign, why was it coming so easily. “Mmmmuhh….Mother…”

“Of course.” The creature knelt down, as much as it could without legs, to be at eye level. “Please listen to me. Mother is dead. She’s…she’s been dead. For a very long time. I don’t…I don’t understand why you were born…she’s gone.”

“Whooooo…am…I?”

“I…I’m sorry, I don’t know. Only you can find out who you are, little one. But…I can, uh, tell you who I am, maybe that’ll help.”

A nod. It felt creaky.

“Okay, well…my name is Vivian. I’m a fire Shadow Siren…see?” The bright light appeared, hurting. They hissed and scampered away, covering their eyes with their arms.

“Oh no, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how sensitive you are to light…living in the steeple your whole life, how terrible…I’m sorry, I’m getting sidetracked. I look like what you should look like, even though I’m much, much older than you…I know of two others, one of whom lives with me in this house, the other has just…vanished…”

She fell silent.

“Where…eyes?”

“They’re under here, under my hat and hair.” She swept away the brightly colored material, revealing her eyes, red like blood. “We need to fix you up. Your eyes shouldn’t be uncovered unless among other Shadow Sirens.” She stooped down, doing her best to peer beyond the matted clumps of hair. “That’s…a very interesting color…I’m not entirely sure what element you are…But that’s fine, that doesn’t really matter. Do you…understand anything I’m saying?”

Blank stare.

“We’ll start from the very beginning then…this is a house.”

-

Through weeks of tutelage, they began to learn about their world. Vivian had discovered them (or rather they had startled her and she nearly set them on fire) in the darkest corner of Creepy Steeple, an abandoned building in the outskirts of Twilight Town, where Vivian and her sister Marilyn tended to dwell. Vivian spent much of her time in town, while Marilyn would often leave for days at a time. There was a third siren sister whom Vivian didn’t like talking about much at all, only giving her passing references.

It was clear that they and Vivian were the same species; both had similar purple skin, light-sensitive eyes that Vivian insisted must always be hidden behind their hair, and instead of legs like the other villagers they had a ghostly tail that connected them to the ground at all times. While Vivian’s cheeks were rosy, the smaller siren had a dusting of small, light brown spots that stood out against their purple skin; Vivian called them freckles. Their hair was black, spiky, and untamable, in contrast to Vivian’s long, pink, curly hair that never seemed to be out of place. Vivian’s curly bangs always covered her eyes, while the smaller siren had to purposefully style theirs to accomplish the same.

Vivian sewed them a hat in an identical style to her own; a wide brim and pointed at the tip, with alternating colors of stripes. Vivian’s was pink and white, but she made theirs black and white, claiming it looked better. She also made them white gloves to match her own, promising them that the gloves would help them control their magic. They soaked up all the information Vivian told them and was speaking in full sentences within a week; by that point they were also clearly literate and devoured the single bookshelf in the house, discovering what the other species of the world were. Goombas, Koopas, Doogans, Toads, humans, Bob-ombs…the list was extensive and fascinating. For many nights they sat at the kitchen table, engrossed in a book, while Vivian made dinner, humming quietly to herself. When they exhausted the entire collection they went back and read the books again.

Marilyn only visited twice; she was much taller than Vivian and much more round, though the family resemblance was still evident. She wore a yellow and white striped hat and her blonde hair was short; her eyes were only covered by a fringe. She didn’t speak much, and when she did her voice was very deep and very loud. Much more often than speaking with her voice she communicated to Vivian with her hands, and Vivian would reply back with hers, though sometimes she would instead speak slowly and loudly with heavy enunciation. The young siren always found these exchanges fascinating and wanted to learn the hand-communication too, though Vivian had told them that she wasn’t very good at it and it was best if they learn directly from Marilyn herself. But Marilyn only tended to stay a night or two when she was home, and so was only able to successfully teach them a few words. The vast majority of the time Vivian and the young siren had the house to themselves.

“What’s my name?” they asked Vivian one night, the two of them seated at the table. They had their nose in a book, as usual, and had begun thinking about how everyone except them had a name.

Vivan seemed taken aback by the question. “I, uh, I’m not sure.” She had been calling them “little one” for quite some time. “Traditionally, newborn Sirens were named by the Shadow Queen herself…but now that she’s gone, well…I think you have the freedom to choose your own.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it can be whatever you want.”

They pondered this in silence for several minutes finally declaring, “I can’t think of one right now.”

“That’s fine,” said Vivian with a small smile. “No rush.”

“Can you tell me again about Mother?”

Her smile vanished. “I…I suppose. What about?”

“You said she was defeated twice. How?”

Now it was Vivian’s turn to be silent. “Well, I can tell you about the first time, at least…”

They listened with rapt attention as Vivian described the realm their mother had once controlled, the vast blanket of darkness, to be broken by the Four Heroes spoken of only in legend. “Not all legends are true,” Vivian had said, “but most of them do have a basis in reality.” The Four Heroes used magical artifacts to seal Mother into her lair, locked her inside a powerful barrier that Vivian called the Door. The heroes suffered for this, their own souls similarly locked into chests and scattered across the world, never to be found again, but they had succeeded in containing the Shadow Queen and ending what Vivian described as her reign of terror. “All according to the legend, of course,” said Vivian.

“What about the second time she was defeated?”

Vivian offered them a nervous smile. “That is an even longer story, little one. I’ll explain it another time. Why don’t you get some rest? You’re still growing and it’s very important you get enough sleep.”

Grudgingly, they went to bed. Their bedroom had once been Marilyn’s, but since she was so rarely present Vivian had told them to use it instead. It was plain, only containing a bed with a lumpy mattress, a half-deflated pillow, and a worn blanket, and a side table on which they would place their hat while they slept, but it was home. Vivian’s room, though slightly bigger, looked exactly the same furnishings-wise, with the sole exception of a poster Vivian had hung up on the opposite wall of her bed for a play called “Paper Mario,” starring a human in strange red and blue clothes. “I’ve seen it eight times,” she said when asked about it.

They didn’t really like going to sleep; prior to meeting Vivian they only slept when they passed out from exhaustion. When they actually put themselves to bed, too often they had vivid but horrifying dreams. Sometimes it was just one word that they couldn’t make out, being spoken over and over. Sometimes it was a swirling vortex of darkness that they were being helplessly dragged into. Even more rarely they didn’t dream at all. Vivian seemed unconcerned by the nightmares at first, but as they began to get worse, she gave them a cup of tea before bed, as she said it helped her with her own nightmares. The dreams eased, but never completely stopped.

That night they lay awake in bed for some time, imagining Mother’s defeat, twice at the hands of mortals who called themselves heroes…something inside their core told them they needed to avenge Mother. But they needed more information from Vivian first…they resolved to ask her again tomorrow and make sure to get some answers from the older, wiser siren before they set any plans in motion.

They drifted into a thankfully dreamless sleep.


	2. Trouble Brewing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops this one is kind of fucking huge, couldn't really find a decent enough spot to break it down without it feeling choppy.

They awoke the next morning to find the small house empty. This had only happened once before, but Vivian had left a note that time, apologizing for not being there to wake them up. No such note now, they realized upon searching. And closer inspection revealed what looked like scorch marks along the walls. A fight had occurred. Dread pooled in their core.

“Vivian?” they called out despite knowing the house was barren. “Marilyn?” they asked despite knowing the hefty siren was not home and would not be for days. They brushed their fingers against the burned walls, and their fingertips became black with soot.

Hardly thinking, they rushed to the bookshelf and yanked out a book they’d read four times, cover to cover. Within its pages contained a map. They threw the book onto the table and opened it to the map, tracing their finger around Twilight Town, the only place they knew. Had Vivian been kidnapped? Killed? They folded up the map and stuffed it under the brim of their hat. They couldn’t wait for Marilyn to return, it might be too late, and what if Marilyn had been captured too?

They rushed out the door, staring through their bangs around Twilight Town. It was mid morning, not that that was at all possible to tell by the sky. Vivian had explained that Twilight was perpetually dusk; the moon was always full and never set, and the sky was always a deep purple with the faintest hint of stars. Some Twilight Town residents, people who kind of resembled dolls with piercing eyes, were out and about. Maybe one of them had seen Vivian? The thought of trying to contact one of them without Vivian by their side and doing most of the talking made their core twist and coil, but there was no other option.

They closed the door behind them and approached the first person they saw, a woman who reminded them of Marilyn in physique.

“Have…Have…” their voice wheezed. The woman jumped a little, whirling around.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there. Uh, where’s your friend?”

“Gone,” they said in a hushed voice, not that they could muster any more volume. “Have you seen her?”

“I’m afraid not, darling. Although, I did notice a couple strange characters running around early this morning. They went through the pipe over there, perhaps that’s who you’re looking for?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” they hissed absently, latching onto the clue. They nearly rushed off before remembering Vivian had (attempted to) teach them manners. “Thank you,” they rasped before darting away.

Vivian had told them about some of the places that lay beyond Twilight Town, but not in very much detail. The idea of an entire world, bigger than the town and the trail and the steeple combined, made them want to run and hide. But Vivian was in danger. They approached the ‘pipe’ the woman mentioned with trepidation. What was this supposed to do? It looked like an opening to a tunnel, sticking vertically out of the ground. They touched it; it was made of a rough, cold material. Peering into its opening looked like it just led into a void. Could the woman be trusted? How did they know she wasn’t trying to send them into an abyss?

“Hey, buddy!”

They flinched and suddenly it felt as if the ground swallowed them whole. All was darkness, but still the voice managed to reach their ears.

“Aw, come on, pal, don’t be like that. I’m just tryna help!”

With a weird full-body trembling sensation, the world fell back into place. Very confused and slightly panicked, they stared up into the tree nearby the pipe and saw a crow perched in one of the dead branches.

“Jeez, kid, I didn’t mean to scare you that bad,” said the crow in a grating voice. “Anyways, you’re lookin’ for that shadow girl you’re always with, right?”

Mutely, they nodded. The crow ruffled its feathers. “I’ll tell you what I saw. Early this morning this group’a two or three weirdos pops outta that pipe and rushes your house. I’m not jokin’, those characters were freaky-lookin’, and look at all the people who live here! Anyways, they were short and were wearin’ these robes, but every time they moved it looked like they, I dunno, they leaked shadow. Any ‘a that ring a bell? No? Well, that’s too bad, ‘cause next I saw they left your house with your girl in tow. Dunno how they incapacitated her, cause she deff seems like a decent fighter, but she wasn’t struggling much. But, hey, she was movin’, so she was alive, right? They took her and went down this pipe. Where, I don’t know. That help you any?”

“Pipe…” they muttered.

“Yeah, kid, that’s a pipe. What’s the problem? You tellin’ me you dunno how to go down a pipe? Well, truth be told, I dunno either, I never done it. But I have seen countless people do it. What you wanna do is get on top of it and kinda suck yourself down?”

The crow seemed trustworthy despite its abrasive voice. Heeding the bird’s instructions, they clambered on top of the pipe and shivered as their tail, usually attaching them to the ground, found unsteady leverage on the inside of the pipe instead.

“Welp, that’s all I got. Best’a luck to you, kid. Hope you find your girl.” The crow fluttered off before they could manage a thank you. They stared down into the darkness of the pipe, confused.

Without a warning, their tail popped loose from the inside and they yelped as they plummeted. They went screaming through the pipe at a pace unimaginable, hurtling through endless darkness, until suddenly the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, and they popped out of the pipe in a small room with gray, stone walls. They landed clumsily on the ground in front of the pipe, heart pounding.

Trying to catch their breath, they felt around in their hat for the map and sighed with relief when they found it was still there. There was only one doorway in the room; they stepped out and were rendered breathless again, this time by the environment. Though the entire room seemed to be encased in the same grayish stone, it looked bigger than Twilight Town. They stood on an edge; nearby were some platforms that hovered in the air, moving slowly from left to right and back again, creating a sort of bridge across the room to a similar ledge with another pipe. The air was stale but cool; the entire area instilled an odd sensation in the young siren. It felt like something was pulsating rhythmically in their core, the feeling somehow familiar.

“Never been here?” they murmured to themself, watching the methodical movement of the floating platforms. The feeling of awe in being so close to this power suddenly gave way to anxiety, and they looked around warily, bringing their hands closer to their chest. Where had Vivian’s captors gone? Could they even catch up to them at this point?

They froze as the pipe at the end of the large room made a sudden noise, and suddenly the ground swallowed them whole again. Encased in the darkness, it dawned on them that maybe they were the one doing that? This time they felt less shocked, and much safer.

Footsteps. Light, small, fast ones. Then a soft thump; the newcomer grunted. Curious, the siren forced themselves out of the shadows, but let out a surprised yelp when the stranger, on the bottom level of the room, was staring straight at them. Unbidden, they shot back into the ground again.

A pregnant pause. The siren wondered if the stranger had seen them. Then, “Vivian? Is that you?”

The question took the siren so off-guard they appeared again, blinking at them in confusion. The newcomer hurried toward them, not breaking eye contact.

“Wait, no, you’re not Vivian,” they said in a disappointed tone of voice. They looked like nothing the siren had seen before; even shorter than they were, with a large pink head and a small body and feet. No arms. They wore a hat with a light on it and had blonde hair in a ponytail. The siren had seen a picture of somebody that looked similar in shape, but not in color. A Goomba, perhaps?

“You know Vivian?” asked the siren quickly, afraid the stranger would lose interest and leave.

“Know her? Of course I know her, we saved the world together! You know, you look just like her. Are you another one of her sisters?”

“N…no.” They didn’t think they were, at least. “Vivian is in trouble. She’s been taken and I need to find her.”

“Oh my god, she’s been _kidnapped?!”_ The stranger’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say so? Come down here, I’ll take you back up to the surface. We need to see someone.”

The siren looked warily over the edge. It was a sheer drop, but if this short little Goomba had managed it…their tail trailed along the wall until it connected with the ground below them, and then they dropped down.

“You’re a Shadow Siren just like Vivian, huh?” mused the stranger before suddenly blinking. “Oh, damn, where are my manners? My name is Goombella. I’m an undergrad archeologist studying the Thousand Year Door.”

“…Oh.” They had no idea what any of that meant.

An awkward pause. “What’s your name?” prompted Goombella.

“I don’t have one.”

“You…don’t?”

“Vivian told me that Mother names us, but now that she’s gone I can choose for myself. I haven’t chosen yet.”

“Oh…kay. Uh, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, follow me.” Goombella hurried off through a doorway, and the siren had no choice but to follow.

“So where are you from?” asked the smaller creature.

“Twilight Town. Vivian said I was born in the Creepy Steeple.”

“Ugh, that place was majorly spooky. Wait, you were born there? When?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you, like, a baby shadow siren?”

“Baby?” The word was unfamiliar. As they traveled the power pulling in the siren’s core got stronger, more insistent.

“Never mind. Do you have any idea who took Vivian or why?”

“No…I was sleeping. A crow told me they were robes that leaked shadow.”

“Uh. Right. Of course.” Goombella fell silent as they walked through the stone halls. Crumbling remains of what may have once been structures lay decaying. The power hummed in the siren’s core, until suddenly the two of them turned a corner and it faded immediately.

“Here we are,” said Goombella, shattering the silence. “That big pipe up there is gonna take us back up to Rogueport.”

“Rogueport?” Vivian had mentioned the name a few times and they had seen the town on the map.

“Yeah, it’s a central hub for most of the land. Though watch your back, ‘cause it’s also overrun with crime.”

This pipe, rather than sticking up straight out of the ground like all the others the siren had seen, instead lay parallel to the ground, with a sharp turn that led up. Goombella stood at the entrance, mild concern on her face.

“You’ll want to stay close to me. Don’t draw attention to yourself. We’re going to see an old professor of mine who might have some answers.”

Goombella hopped inside the pipe, and with the same strange noise as before, vanished. The siren shuddered a little at the memory of their last pipe travel, but Vivian needed them and maybe Goombella could help. They squeezed themselves into the mouth of the pipe, and gave another panicked yelp when it sucked them in.

Only a few tense seconds later they popped out of the other end, landing properly on the ground but wincing at the brightest light they had ever seen. They covered their eyes with their hands, tearing up.

“You okay?” asked Goombella, sounding close by.

“Bright,” they moaned. “Too bright.” Their skin felt hot, and there was a lot of noise in the air.

“That’s right, you’re a Twilight native,” mused Goombella, mostly to herself. “I’ll give you some time to adjust.”

“Does the bright light go away?”

“Uh, no? Not until nighttime, at least.” Goombella paused. “You’ve never left Twilight Town, have you?”

They shook their head. There was a moment of awkward silence. “That, uh, complicates things,” sighed Goombella. “Okay, listen. The thing that’s causing the bright light is the sun. It’s in the sky like the moon in Twilight is. Don’t look directly at it or it’ll hurt your eyes.”

The siren nodded, slowly taking their hands away from their face and looking around. Most of the town had a dirty brown color, but simultaneously everything seemed so…vivid. The sky, which they had assumed was always purple, was instead a light blue color with white, wispy clouds. The air, while fresher than it had been underground, also carried weird scents that made them wrinkle their noise.

“Feeling better?” asked Goombella beside them. They nodded, wiping their eyes.

“Awesome. Professor Frankly’s is just over here.”

They followed the smaller creature wordlessly, trying to follow her advice and not be obvious but also trying to sate their own curiosity. The ground was stone and dirt, all the buildings looked like they were made of crumbling bricks and rotting wood, and the high walls separating certain areas of the town made them feel like the whole place was either very well protected or encased to keep the residents inside. They didn’t see very many people, except one ugly looking bird-like creature, clad in green, holding a spear and scowling at the ground.

“You don’t have any money on you, do you?” whispered Goombella as they passed the thing. They shook their head, having nothing of value except the map hidden in their hat.

“That’s probably good. You can never be too careful on this side of town. Here we are.”

They had stopped in front of a house that really didn’t look too different from the rest. Goombella tapped on the door with one of her feet. “Professor?”

“Come in, come in,” called a voice within. Goombella opened the door (which was puzzling given her lack of arms) and led the way in, leaving the siren to close the door behind them. It was a small house, with wall-to-wall bookshelves spanning the entire perimeter of the first room. A creature who was identical to Goombella in shape and size sat at a small table, buried in a book. It had small tufts of white hair and thick, opaque glasses which glinted in the light as the two entered.

“Back so soon, Goombella? Oh, and you’ve brought a friend!”

The siren felt tempted to hide under the other Goomba’s scrutiny but settled for nervous fidgeting. “Wait, wait, don’t tell me,” muttered the professor absently. “I know you, I know I do, the name is just slipping my mind…”

“Uh, Professor Frankly?”

“I said don’t tell me, it’s on the tip of my tongue,” said Frankly loudly. “Got it! Violet, right?”

The siren and Goombella shared an uncomfortable glance. “Uh…no, Professor. The one you’re thinking of is Vivian—“

“Close enough,” dismissed the professor.

“…And though they look similar this isn’t the same person,” continued Goombella.

“Oh. Sorry. Same species, I assume?”

“I think so. That’s kind of the reason why we came here. Uh, I don’t know exactly how it happened, but Vivian, the one you’re familiar with—“

“Was kidnapped,” said the siren quietly. “I need to find her.”

Goombella nodded. “All sorts of weird stuff is happening, Professor. After _you-know-what_ happened everything went back to normal, until now. I was going to check on the Thousand-Year Door when I came across them,” she indicated the siren, “because I’m afraid someone’s been trying to prematurely break the seal.”

The professor made a ‘humph’-ing noise, apparently already lost in thought. “Odd, very odd. The seal should be unbreakable for another nine hundred and ninety-eight years. For someone to go tampering with it so soon after _you-know-what_ carries disturbing implications _._ ”

“And I think whoever’s doing that is connected with whoever kidnapped Vivian,” said Goombella, turning to the siren. “What did you say they looked like?”

They shrugged. “I never saw them myself. A crow told me they were dressed in robes that dripped shadow.”

“That’s not physically possible,” snorted Frankly.

“Professor, you’re talking to someone who’s made of literal shadow,” said Goombella dryly. “ _You-know-what_ was big on the darkness and shadow motif.”

“Right, right,” said Frankly. “It certainly seems all these events are connected, and none of that bodes well.”

They fell silent, the siren more confused than ever. They were about to ask what _you-know-what_ was when Goombella spoke up suddenly. “Okay, I have an idea. But I need more background information, and the only person who can provide me with it is Vivian and her sisters. So I wanna find her before we make any concrete plans.”

“Sounds reasonable. I would think rescuing a kidnapped friend would be top priority anyway,” said Frankly.

“Well, yeah, but…” Goombella shook her head. “Look, Professor, have you seen or heard anything out of the ordinary?”

“Nothing except for what you’ve told me, Goombella. But truthfully I’m not often out and about anyway. I would definitely advise asking around, perhaps getting all your friends together and forming a global search party.”

Goombella nodded. “Y’know, I really should have thought of that.” She turned to the siren. “This is a lot to ask of you, I know, but I need you to go find someone for me.”

They couldn’t help but look worried. Goombella said quickly, “I promise it’s not dangerous. You’re gonna have to go to the west side of Rogueport and catch a blimp to a place called Glitzville, the city in the sky. You look similar enough to Vivian to pass as her, so just tell the guy running the blimp that you’re her and you’ll get in for free. When you’re in Glitzville you’ll wanna go to the giant building called the Glitz Pit and talk to a security guard, tell ‘em you want to see The Great Gonzales Junior and say Goombella sent you. He’s a fighter in the Glitz Pit and a good friend, he’ll definitely do whatever he can to help. Think you can handle that?”

The siren, overwhelmed, nodded mutely. Goombella broke into a wide grin. “You’re the best! I’ll be running around in the sewers, tracking down all our other friends. We’ll have people across the nation looking for Vivian before the end of the day, okay?”

Another semi-panicked nod. “Awesome,” said Goombella, turning to look at Professor Frankly. “Keep an eye out for anything unusual, okay, Professor?”

“I will, Goombella, I will,” said Frankly, again flipping through a book.

As the two left the professor’s house, Goombella pointed the siren in the direction of their destination. “Go through that archway, past Rogueport Square, through that other archway, and go north where you see the green space and the fountain. Good luck, ‘Vivian,’ and be careful!”

Before the siren could reply, Goombella was off, heading back to the pipe that led underground. Anxiety twisted in their core at the thought of being alone in a town teeming with criminals, but with every passing second, Vivian was in danger. They steeled their nerves and headed off too, repeating to themselves what Goombella had told them. Blimp, Glitz Pit, Great Gonzales Jr.

The town became much more open through the first archway. The late morning brought more activity, and the siren was surprised to see so many weird species out and about. There were more people that, given their resemblances to Goombella and Frankly, they assumed were also Goombas. They recognized some other species that had illustrations in their books; Doogans with their shaggy, full-body fur and big noses, Bandits with their baggy clothes and emotive masks, Toads with their large mushroom-shaped heads and grating voices. Despite their curiosity they made sure not to make eye contact with anyone, staring firmly at the ground and skirting around the funny wooden structure in the center of the plaza with a rope dangling from it. Through the next archway they saw the green space and fountain that Goombella had pointed out. This part of town seemed less sketchy, though not by much. They still were afraid to look anyone in the eye and kept out of sight, slightly relieved when they passed under a stone archway and into shadow. Unfortunately, the area ahead was again brightly lit with sunlight.

They weren’t entirely sure what a blimp was. On the left was a large vehicle made of what they assumed was steel; on the right, a much smaller thing that looked as if it could float away. Goombella had mentioned that Glitzville was in the sky, they reasoned. Nervously, they approached the fish-like thing (it looked like a Cheep Cheep maybe) in front of the blimp, trying not to shake with terror.

“H-hello,” they said quietly, catching the fish’s attention. “I’d…like to go to Glitzville, please…”

“Certainly, madam. Your name is Vivian, right? I like the new haircut and wardrobe!”

Equal parts shocked that the trick had worked and panic that the Cheep Cheep might see through them at the last minute, it was several seconds before they could manage a strangled “Thank you.”

“Anything for a friend of Mario’s and savior of the world,” said the Cheep Cheep good-naturedly. He opened the small gate and ushered them inside, instructing them to climb inside the blimp. The cabin of the blimp was cozy, and they settled into a seat as the fish hopped into a secluded compartment and disappeared. Within moments the entire cabin shook, and the siren turned their gaze to the window. The ground was shrinking. Alarmed, they kept staring out the large window, watching as the sprawling Rogueport got smaller and smaller, overtaken by blue. Vivian had told them about the ocean, miles and miles of water surrounding Rogueport. The concept seemed unreal when only spoken about, but seeing it for themself was an entirely different ordeal. As time passed, Rogueport completely vanished from sight while the ocean spread from horizon to horizon, as far as the siren could see. They were mystified.

In what seemed like no time at all the pilots’s voice came through, slightly crackly. “Approaching Glitzville, landing shortly.”

The blimp touched down smoothly on what was literally an island floating in the sky. Smaller than Rogueport but bigger than Twilight Town, Glitzville was bustling with activity. The siren was a little overwhelmed with all the sights and sounds as they stepped off the blimp with an encouraging smile from the Cheep Cheep steward. The biggest building was front and center, completely unmissable. It seemed to be pretty popular, as a steady stream of people were entering. The siren slipped inside unnoticed among the others.

Find a security guard. The inside of the Pit was very expensively furnished, all red carpet and golden banisters. A double staircase twisted upward to another floor, with people pressing themselves up close to the doors. Posters lined the walls, bearing images of people and species the siren had never seen before.

Uncomfortable with being around this many people at once, they clung to the walls, looking around. A buff person wearing a black and white suit and dark sunglasses stood in front of a door at the back of the large lobby. If he was a security guard, he certainly looked capable. They crept up to him, still hyperaware of the crowd nearby.

“Whatcha want, bub?” the guard asked in a gruff, unfriendly tone.

“I…uh…I need to see…” What had Goombella called him? “…The Great…Gonzales?”

“You mean Jr? The original Gonzales retired years ago.”

“Yes,” they said, relieved. “The Great Gonzales Jr.”

“’Fraid not, kid.  The Glitz Pit Champ has too many fans to see ‘em all one by one, and only fighters are allowed back here. Jr occasionally appears outside the Pit for fans to see, maybe you can get his autograph then. In the meantime, tough luck.” The guard crossed his arms tighter, and they could tell his gaze was burning a hole at them through his sunglasses.

“No, but, this is important,” they said urgently. “If I can’t see him, c-can you at least pass on a message to him? Then he can decide for himself if I’m worth his time.”

They were kind of surprised at themself. They didn’t know where that verbosity had come from, but it was welcome now that they were speaking to strangers on a regular basis.

The guard’s face showed no change of emotion, but his tone indicated annoyance. “Fine. What’s your message?”

“Tell him Goombella sent me.”

“That’s it?”

They nodded. The guard leered at them for another moment, then huffed. “As you wish. I’ll go tell him. Don’t even think about following me through this door, because you _will_ be seen and thrown out at best. Stay right there.”

Almost mechanically, he opened the door and slammed it behind him. The siren felt that he wasn’t bluffing, so they stayed put, tenser than ever before. They watched the crowd swarming the lobby, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. After what felt like an eternity, the guard returned.

“Aren’t you lucky, the Great Gonzales Jr has agreed to see you. Follow me.”

He held the door open as they slipped inside. The back of the Glitz Pit was nowhere near as glamorous as the front, all plain gray and dimly lit hallways with stuff cluttered on the floor, almost in the way. There were many doors, all guarded by security who looked entirely identical to the one they followed. As they passed the siren could tell the other guards followed them with their eyes, but none said anything or even moved. Finally they stopped in front of one door, the guard from outside exchanging quick, quiet words with the one in front, and then both stepped aside and swung open the door.

The new room made the Glitz Pit lobby look like Vivian’s humble house back in Twilight Town. The carpet was incredibly soft, the walls painted warm yellow and red, and there was a pile of unopened gifts in the corner. There was a large, luxurious bed on the opposite side of the room. Above it was an oil painting of an orange dinosaur-looking creature, and on the bed—

“Yo, who are you?”

They jumped. The same creature depicted in the painting was lounging on the bed, though it had sat up when they entered. It had a shock of blue hair and was wearing blue boots and a green bandana with white spots around its neck. It was a head taller than the siren, which became evident as it hopped off the bed and approached suspiciously.

“Come on, man, I don’t got all day!”

“I…uh…I’m a friend of Goombella’s,” they said, still reeling and getting more and more anxious.

“Yeah? What do you want?” He was still scrutinizing them, though now his expression read less hostile and more genuine confusion.

“Vivian’s been kidnapped.”

“Say what?” The Glitz Pit champion looked at them with real alarm. “Hey, you kinda look like her. Are you related?”

“Um, not officially. She found me and took me in, but now she’s gone.” This was getting easier and easier to explain.

“Shit,” growled the champ. “Any idea who did it?”

They shook their head.

“God damn it,” snarled the champ. “I’ll have whoever did it begging for mercy!”

More than a little afraid, the siren said, “We need your help.”

“Of course you do, dude! Man, I’ll track down her kidnapper so fast the first thing that’s gonna go through his mind when he sees me is his butt!” He paused. “Uh, so, what’s your name?”

“I don’t have one.”

He looked nonplussed for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. “Hey, man, same. When I was first hatched I didn’t have a name, so Gonzales named me.” He stood up straight and flexed. “Stage name the Youthful Yoshi Warlord, aka the Great Gonzales Jr! But my civilian name is Tank. Since your friends are my friends, you can go ahead and call me that.” He paused again. “So, like, what’s the plan?”

They shrugged. “Goombella said we need to find Vivian first and foremost. I think she’s going around getting word out…talking to more friends? Maybe she’ll find some more clues, but…”

At their own words they realized how hopeless this task had become. Vivian’s captors by now could be anywhere, and here they were on an island in the sky, completely useless.

“Hey, dude, don’t look so dejected,” said Tank, lightly punching the siren’s arm. It didn't seem like it had intended to be a threat. Bizarre. “We’ll find her. We got friends everywhere, man, there’s not a place on Earth or even the freakin’ _moon_ they can hide from us! Anyways, hell yeah I’m coming with. I just gotta negotiate with my boss and my ‘caretakers’ first.”

He moved past them and knocked on the door. The security guard cracked it open.

“Butch, something major’s come up. Family emergency. Do me a solid and tell Jolene I’ll be AWOL for…a while.”

“What? You can’t leave now, Jr. Your contract doesn’t allow for vacation time,” said the guard.

“Are you kidding me?” snapped Tank. “Damn the contract, man! Jolene understands family emergencies, go and tell her I gotta go!”

“And leave the Glitz Pit without a champion? If you’re gonna leave, it’ll be contractually considered a retirement. We’ll terminate your career here until further notice. Should you come back, you’ll have to work your way through the ranks to become champion again.”

Tank froze. The siren didn’t really understand what was happening, but they could tell from the Yoshi’s expression that this was a serious matter.

There was a pregnant pause. Tank, grimacing heavily, shot daggers through the door at the guard as he growled, “Fine. Terminate me, I don’t give a shit.”

“What? But, Gonzales, you have a rematch with Rawk Hawk tomorrow afternoon—“

“Didn’t think I’d do it, did you?” the Yoshi snorted indignantly. “Nope, you heard me. If you’re gonna fire me, I quit. Tell Jolene what I told you. And I bet when I come back I’ll be the champ again in six months, tops!”

Still simmering, he turned to the siren. “Let’s go.”

They followed the Yoshi back through the dim hallways and past the first guard. “Getting some fresh air, champ?” asked the guard.

“That’s ex-champ to you,” said Tank sardonically. “I’m taking a little vay-cay that’s apparently gonna get me canned, but it can’t be helped. Give my regards to the guys and tell ‘em I’ll be back, okay?”

No sooner had Tank said that then a swarm of people suddenly crowded him. The siren found themselves being pushed, shoved, and stepped on. Panicking, they clung to their hat and glued themself to Tank's side.

“Easy, easy, everybody!” yelled Tank over the excited cheering and screaming of his fans. “The Great Gonzales Jr is taking a brief hiatus, okay? No autographs, I’m in a hurry here!” He grabbed the siren’s arm and started to force his way through the crowd.

As the two escaped the Glitz Pit, they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. “Man, I like being famous and all, but I’m not a fan of shrieking crowds, y’know?” said Tank. “I feel bad for brushing them off, but, like, Vivian’s in trouble.”

The siren nodded mutely, heart pounding and tail aching from where someone had trampled it. Wordlessly they followed Tank across town to the blimp, where they piled into the cabin and waited for takeoff.

“So, um. Where exactly are you from?” asked the Yoshi.

“Twilight Town. Vivian found me and took me in…I didn’t live with her very long before she was…”

“Yeah, man, I get it,” said Tank, leaning back and watching as Glitzville slowly got smaller and farther away. “Jeez, this must have been really recent. She didn’t mention anything about anyone when we had our last get-together last month. You’re pretty young, aren’t you?”

“I…I guess?”

“No shame in it, dude. I started fighting literally minutes out of the egg. Hell, I’m still growing, I won’t be my full size for a couple years at least. Us small guys gotta stick together, huh?” He offered them a grin that suddenly faltered. “You…are a guy, right?”

“I’m a Shadow Siren,” they said, puzzled.

To their surprise, Tank started laughing. “That’s as good of an answer as any! I got you, bro. Or not bro.” He lapsed into silence for a minute. “That said, the lack of a name is gonna complicate things. Vivian didn’t name you when she…’found’ you?”

They shook their head. “She told me I could choose my own, but I haven’t decided yet…or thought about it.”

“Don’t blame you. So much stuff going on.”

The two became quiet again, the siren choosing to glue themself to the window again and watch the rolling motion of the sea. Tank stretched out as much as he could, eyes half closed and glazed over, running his fingers through his hair and adjusting the bandana around his neck.

“Approaching Rogueport, landing shortly,” the fish pilot’s voice crackled some time later.

“Awesome,” said Tank, half to himself. Louder he said, “I was about to pass out back here, man. Stewart’s just the best pilot there is.”

As they exited the blimp, Tank crackled his knuckles. “All right, dude, what’s the plan?” He paused. “Uh, did Goombella even say she wanted me back here?”

“She never said anything like that,” they replied uneasily.

“Damn! I better not have lost my job for nothing!” He took a deep breath. “Whatever, it’s not like I’d be of any help stuck in Glitzville anyway.”

Despite Rogueport being significantly busier than it had been that morning, the siren felt substantially safer traveling with the Glitz Pit champion. Unfortunately, the Yoshi's mere presence proved to be a double-edged sword, as he drew much more attention than either of them wanted. People turned around, pointed, stared, even screamed, but none seemed willing to approach.

“You’d think I was a damn alien or something,” Tank huffed as they passed Rogueport Square. Then he snickered a little. “Hey, they know I’m loaded but they also know I can wipe the floor with them. All those thieves right now must be like, ‘to mug, or not to mug?’”

It was apparently a joke, but the punchline flew over the siren’s head. They arrived at the pipe leading down below the town, but Tank suggested they wait for Goombella nearby. “Neither of us knows how to navigate down there,” he reasoned, finding a nearby wooden crate and hopping on top of it. “Might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

Unable to argue, the siren chose instead to duck into the shadows the crate was drawing. They exhaled in mild relief; the sun was nice and all but it got so hot and uncomfortable that they didn’t think they could stand to be in it for too long.

 “Man,” grumped Tank after a while of awkward waiting, “I have half a mind to go down there and find that girl myself if I didn’t think I’d get lost in a heartbeat.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem,” said a voice that belonged to neither of them, causing Tank to yell and the siren to flinch.

“Oh my _god_ , Ms. Mowz, you scared the hell out of me!” snapped Tank at the newcomer, who had seemingly materialized out of the shadows of the crates behind them. She was a small white mouse-like creature clad in high heels and a mask, both the same shade of bright red. A Squeek, the siren guessed, having seen many of them around Rogueport in particular.

“Not yet I haven’t,” said the Squeek gravely. “I met up with Goombella and Koops in the sewers. They found Vivian nearby the blue pipes, unconscious and battered. They’ve taken her to Petalburg and are waiting for her to regain consciousness.”

“Holy shit,” swore Tank (he’d told the siren to probably not adopt the vulgarities of the arena into their own vocabulary). “Let’s go!”

The Squeek led their small party down to the sewers, the siren finally thinking that maybe they were getting used to pipe travel. They and Tank followed Ms. Mowz through twists and turns and a multitude of other pipes, while the feeling of enormous power seemed to flare up and then diminish without warning.

“She’s not dead, is she?” asked Tank worriedly as they rushed through the stone caverns. “Or close to it?”

“Fortunately, no. She’s been roughed up, certainly, but nowhere near fatal. She clearly went down fighting. Goombella suspects foul play of a chemical nature. She thinks she found an injection site on her neck.”

“God damn,” spat Tank. “Who would do this?”

“Other than the poor girl, there aren’t any clues.”

“What about Flurrie? And Bobbery?”

“Goombella hasn’t yet reached them. She had only visited Koops and was about to go to Boggly Woods when she found Vivian. I just happened to be in Petalburg when I heard the news.”

“Really? It was a coincidence?” asked Tank dryly.

“Fine, I may have been snooping around Hooktail Castle. Searching for the Crystal Star, mind you, not mere badge recovery.”

All these unfamiliar names were making the siren’s head swim, and they were thankful that the conversation stopped when they arrived in a room with tall ledges and multiple blue pipes. “This one,” said Ms. Mowz, jumping up the ledges with ease. Tank and the siren followed, one by one entering the rightmost pipe.

The pipe spat them back out into a field of flowers with bright sunlight that made the siren wince, having grown easily accustomed to the dim light of the sewers. The town was incredibly colorful, with healthy green grass, flowers of every imaginable hue, and a softly burbling stream with clean water. The air was fresh and cool and carried the scent of flowers. Petalburg seemed to be mostly populated by Koopas, who watched as Ms. Mowz led the siren and the celebrity into a large house.

The interior of the house was cool and quiet, decorated with pictures of smiling Koopas everywhere. Goombella sat at the foot of a staircase, looking up as they entered.

“Long time no see, huh?” said Tank with a grin.

“Quiet!” hissed Goombella. With less force, she added, “Vivian’s upstairs, they’re keeping a close eye on her. Still passed out.”

“Can we see her?” asked the siren desperately.

“If you’re quiet.” Goombella hopped off the staircase, allowing Tank and the siren to pass, while Ms. Mowz hung behind.

At the top of the stairs there was a small hallway with several rooms branching off, all with their doors closed except the one nearest the staircase. Inside the room, two Koopas sat nearby a bed, looking up as they approached. The female had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and a worried expression, and the male had a lazy eye and a scar on his nose. He offered a weak smile to Tank as they made eye contact.

“It’s been a while,” the Koopa said quietly.

“Koops, my man, how’s being mayor treating you?”

“It has its ups and downs,” he said in a tone that indicated he was trying to downplay the experience. Then he caught the siren’s eye. “And you must be Vivian’s friend.”

“Is she okay?” They approached the bed cautiously. The elder siren looked almost as if she were sleeping peacefully, with the blankets pulled up to her shoulders and her hair falling over her face just right so her eyes remained covered. Her hat was missing; they realized belatedly that it was on a side table nearby.

“She’ll pull through,” said the female Koopa behind them. “We’re just waiting for the sedatives or whatever they stuck her with to wear off.”

“You’re sure it’s not…” Tank stopped, apparently struggling for words. “Anything…worse than that?”

“Reasonably sure,” said Koops. “She’s breathing fine, still has a pulse. They got her early this morning, right? If it’s a poison it sure is a slow-acting one.”

The notion of Vivian being poisoned, unable to ever wake up, made the younger siren feel weak. They leaned on the bed, squeezing their eyes shut.

“So, um…” said Koops, sounding far away. “What’s…with your friend there?”

“They’re, uh…” Tank sounded even more distant, and his voice faded out completely. For a moment, all was silent and dark. It was peaceful. Relief for Vivian’s safety, fear that something would go wrong before she could wake up, fury at whoever had done this to her pooled in the siren’s core. The emotions swam, running together,  burning like fire and freezing like ice. A feeling of power flared, as sudden and strong as a bolt of lightning. And then, underneath, bubbled something even stronger, even more indomitable, even less controllable.

“Yo! Wake up!”

They were being violently shaken; the silence shattered, the darkness vanished, the feelings melted away like mist in daylight. They came to; Tank was staring at them in concern and a little bit of fear. Their hat had fallen off. As he let go of them, they slowly and deliberately picked it up and put it back on.

“What the hell happened?” demanded Tank, taking a quick and small step back. They looked behind him; Koops and the female Koopa both looked terrified, the female standing near the back wall while Koops stood in front of her protectively.

“What?” said the siren vaguely, more than a little dazed and confused.

An awkward moment passed; Tank and the Koopas relaxed minimally. “You were, like, in a trance,” said Tank in bewilderment. “You got all quiet and didn’t move and then this—this weird shadowy thing appeared around you, it almost looked like black fire, or maybe hands--“

He cut himself off, staring at the siren in trepidation. They stared back blankly. “I don’t…remember anything…”

The Koopas exchanged nervous glances. Tank rubbed his eyes, then whipped around to face them. “You saw that too, right? I’m not goin’ crazy, am I?”

“Saw what?” Goombella had appeared in the room, Ms. Mowz a step behind. “What’s happening? We heard you from downstairs.”

The Koopas and Yoshi all looked at each other blankly, none wanting to answer. At that moment the siren’s stomach growled loudly, startling them all.

“Oh, it’s much later than I thought,” said the female Koopa, glancing at a clock on the wall. “Why don’t we get started on dinner?”

Glad for the distraction, Koops and Tank agreed. “Don’t think you boys aren’t going to help,” said the female Koopa lightly as she left the room, heading downstairs.

“Of course, honey,” said Koops in a defeated tone, as Tank loudly said, “What? Oh, come on, I’m a terrible cook!”

“She’s not asking you to do rocket science, Great Gonzales,” snickered Goombella as they all went downstairs, with the exception of the siren and Ms. Mowz. The mouse creature approached silently; the siren watched her warily.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” whispered Ms. Mowz, close enough to touch them.

“I…I think so?” they said, unnerved by how uncomfortable everyone was acting. “I feel fine, but…I don’t remember anything that Tank said happened…it’s like I blacked out…Nobody trusts me, do they?”

“That’s not true,” said the Squeek quietly. “I know things seem confusing now, but they’ll sort themselves out. Everything will make sense with time. And I know when Vivian wakes up she’ll be eager to explain. Come, you must be starving.”

They allowed her to lead them downstairs to the kitchen. The Koopa couple were already rummaging around, setting things up, while Tank leaned on a wall and sulked. Goombella seemed to be poking more fun at him, as she was laughing, but when the siren and Ms. Mowz came downstairs she shot the mouse a pointed glance. Ms. Mowz winked at her; apparently this was some kind of signal as Goombella shrugged and went back to teasing the grumpy Tank.

“In due time, darling,” said Ms. Mowz to the siren. “Why don’t you sit down?”

Again led by the mouse, the siren seated themself at the table, watching in fascination as everyone except them got to work. They’d really only seen Vivian cook, and though they wanted to help they figured they’d more likely just get in the way. And five people seemed more than enough, as not too long later the food was ready and everyone was eagerly devouring their plates.

“Man,” said Tank with his mouth full, “this stuff is way better than the stuff they give us at the Pit!”

“I’ll take the compliment if you don’t speak with food in your mouth, Mr. Champion,” said Koopie Koo.

Koops was smiling faintly at all the faces around his table. “It’s almost like the whole party’s back together,” he said. “It’s too bad we’re missing Flurrie and Bobbery. And, well…the obvious exception.”

A murmur of agreement went around the table. The siren frowned to themself, tired of everyone making references they didn’t understand.

“How about,” said Ms. Mowz, “for old time’s sake and so our siren friend no longer feels left out, we remember what exactly happened two years ago?”

“Well, technically, it started a thousand and two years ago,” said Goombella. “But okay. It starts with a legend and a door...”

The siren listened with rapt attention as everyone (except Koopie Koo, who indicated she hadn’t been present for most of the experience) explained the tale of something called the Thousand-Year Door, which struck a chord in their memory but try as they might they couldn’t place it. It began with a man named Mario, known worldwide for his heroics and determination, on a mission to rescue the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom when she visited Rogueport and then vanished. Mario, helped by his partners, collected artifacts called the Crystal Stars (again, a twinge of memory) from across the land to save the world and the missing princess.

Goombella first met the man in Rogueport after nearly being assaulted by some organization she referred to as the X-Nauts, and introduced him to Professor Frankly, the legend, and the Door itself. Mario’s lost princess had given him a map that reacted to being in the presence of the Door, which pointed them in the direction of Petalburg to find the first Crystal Star.

Koops went on to tell the story of Hooktail Castle, a centuries-old fortress on the outskirts of Petalburg that housed a terrifying dragon who had been terrorizing the Petalburg civilians for years. Koops had been convinced his father, who went to slay the dragon years ago but never returned, had been eaten and wanted to join Mario to avenge him; they fought their way through the castle, defeated the dragon, and managed to find both Koops’s father and the Diamond Star completely unharmed.

Taking the new Star and the map back to the Door revealed the next Star’s location to be in Boggly Woods, the native home to a group of tiny bug-like creatures called Punies, who were being attacked and captured by the X-Nauts while they searched their home, the Great Tree, for the Star. Mario enlisted the help of a wind spirit and retired actress named Madam Flurrie to chase the X-Nauts away and find the Emerald Star.

Tank took over to tell the story of Glitzville and the mystery of the Glitz Pit. Mario had joined the arena and become a fighter, under the stage name “The Great Gonzales” and the impression that the belt awarded to the champion of the Pit contained the Crystal Star. The Glitz Pit was rumored to be cursed, as fighters routinely went missing and lights could be seen from under the stage doors after hours. Mario rescued Tank as an egg from being served as a topping on a hot dog, and with the Yoshi’s assistance discovered that the Glitz Pit manager had been kidnapping fighters and using their life force to keep himself perpetually youthful via a machine powered by the Gold Star. Though said manager jacked himself up using the Star’s power, Tank bragged that he and Mario trounced him easily.

The Ruby Star had been located in Twilight Town, which at the time was under a curse that was slowly turning the villagers into pigs. Mario and the rest of the party defeated the monster behind the curse, but at the last moment the monster stole his body and name, leaving the real Mario as a nameless shadow. Everyone admitted they’d felt like who they thought was Mario was acting very unlike himself but thought little of it, only realizing their mistake when the shadowy Mario, assisted by Vivian, guessed the monster’s real name and defeated him, reclaiming his identity.

Keelhaul Key, a remote tropical island far from Rogueport, was the home of the Sapphire Star. The group had found themselves shipwrecked after being accosted by ghosts; luckily the master navigator Admiral Bobbery had agreed to join their party and helped them explore the Pirate’s Grotto, an enormous cave filled with traps, litter from pirates, and even more ghosts. They defeated the undead pirate king, Cortez, who gave them the Star and set out to sail the seas again.

 The penultimate Star was found in Poshley Heights, a lavish and small town where the filthy rich dwelt. To get there the party took a train known as the Excess Express, but as was expected, issues arose involving mysteries, threats, and a raised drawbridge that forced them to investigate the abandoned Riverside Station to lower it. Their adventure through the station ended up disturbing the enemies that had settled inside, and the train was attacked by a horde of small, unnerving creatures known as Smorgs. Luckily, Mario defeated them and found the Garnet Star in a secret room of the Poshley Sanctum.

The final Crystal Star was contained in the secret base of the X-Nauts, on the moon. They got there by firing themselves through a cannon (“as you might expect,” said Goombella sarcastically) and razed the base, defeating one of the commanding officers as the true brains of the operation fled to open the Door.

 All seven Crystal Stars were used to break the seal to the Thousand Year Door and vanquish the demon that lurked within, the same demon that a thousand years ago had terrorized the world. They succeeded; Mario and the princess had gone back to their homeland years ago.

As the story ended, the siren was deep in thought. It felt as if they were beginning to put the pieces of some large puzzle together, but still there were some things missing…

Goombella also seemed pensive when the tale came to a close. “Something wrong?” asked Koops.

The Goomba winced and was silent for a moment, then she heaved a huge sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. Something is hugely, incredibly wrong. I didn’t want to tell you now, I would have preferred to have more information and everyone together…but I guess it can’t wait.” She cleared her throat. “Guys, someone’s messing with the seal on the Door.”

A shocked, horrible silence fell. It lasted an eternity. “What?” said Koops faintly.

“You heard me. I’ve been doing constant investigations on the Door since Mario left. The seal feels weaker than before. Substantially weaker, not the typical wear-and-tear you’d expect from a seal that only lasts a millennium. At this rate it definitely won’t last nine hundred and ninety-eight more years, far from it.”

More silence. Everyone stared at each other, as if looking to others would provide answers. “Do you have any idea who or what is doing it?” asked Koopie Koo.

“Not officially. I’ve justifiably jumped to the conclusion that the creeps who kidnapped Vivian have something to do with it, but there’s no concrete evidence for that, we don’t even know who or what they are.”

“But how?” asked Koops. “The seal either breaks with time, or with all the Crystal Stars. To mess with it they’d…”

Yet another silence, this one much more fearful. Even Ms. Mowz suddenly seemed shocked. “That’s right, I…I was searching for the Diamond Star in Hooktail Castle. It wasn’t where I thought it’d be…I assumed I’d overlooked it and was about to double my efforts when I heard that Vivian had been found and left the place…”

“Shit!” barked Tank, leaping to his feet and nearly knocking his chair over. “Goombella, how could you just sit on this info?! For all we know they got all the Stars and are heading down to open the Door right now!”

“Tank, relax!” yelled Koops. “Calm down, okay? We don’t know for sure that somebody’s going around taking the Stars, maybe Ms. Mowz did just manage to overlook the Diamond Star—“

“Yeah, right!” sniffed Tank. “That ain’t a coincidence, dude!”

“Koops is right,” said Goombella loudly. “Besides, just finding and collecting the Stars isn’t enough to break the seal, otherwise everyone would be able to do it. Remember Mario’s magical map? The one that can only be activated by a maiden pure of heart, or whatever? The Crystal Stars react to whoever’s got the map, and right now, Mario does, wherever he is. So unless it’s him doing all this, it doesn’t even matter if they have all the Stars or none of them.”

“But the seal is still being weakened, right?” asked Koopie Koo worriedly. “You said it wouldn’t last the rest of the millennium.”

“Probably not, but a millennium is a pretty long time. From what I can tell the seal isn’t, like, ready to break right this second. I think it’ll still outlive all of us.”

The tension in the room eased, at least a little bit, but there was still obvious concern etched on everyone’s faces. Tank sat down again, his frustrated gaze boring a hole through the table. “So what if they find all the Crystal Stars, map or no, and then find some other way to break the seal, huh?”

“That’s assuming the seal gets weaker when a Star is brought to it,” said Koops. “Maybe it’s an all-at-once thing?”

“I doubt it,” said Goombella. “It definitely seems like with each additional Star the seal weakens, remember when Mario did it? But I’m not sure if there _is_ another way to break the seal without all seven Stars and the map or just waiting a thousand years.”

“But the fact that someone is trying is bad news enough,” said Ms. Mowz gravely.

Another silence, this time less panicked and more pensive. Goombella sighed. “I hate to be a buzzkill, but…you guys ought to know.” She looked down, slumping, almost as if trying to hide. “I wish Mario were here. Bobbery and Flurrie too…I’ll have to write to them and tell them.”

“It’s getting late,” said Koops, glancing outside; night had fallen. He turned awkwardly to his friends. “Uh…I’d love to house all of you, but we only have one guest room and Vivian’s in it…would you guys mind staying the night in the inn? I’ll pay, of course.”

“Shut it, old man,” said Tank. “Who’s the champion of the Glitz Pit and has so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it? Not you, Mr. Mayor. It’s on my dime, and don’t anybody argue with me.”

Koops reluctantly conceded, standing up and beginning to take plates. The table was cleared and everyone said their goodbyes. “We’ll let you know when Vivian is up and running,” said Koopie Koo to the siren. They thanked her and followed Tank, Goombella, and Ms. Mowz through Petalburg to the inn. The night air was cool and smelled of flowers; the siren found the darkness extremely comfortable, almost as if they were at home in Twilight again.

“If you don’t mind,” said Ms. Mowz halfway through the journey, “I will be going back to Hooktail Castle and continuing my investigation. By morning I’ll have triple-checked every square inch of the place, and we can only begin panicking if I haven’t found the Diamond Star by then.”

“Really, Ms. Mowz? You’re going alone, at night? That place is packed with…you know…corpses,” said Goombella with an obvious shudder.

“Don’t you worry about me, darling, I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. I’ll be taking my leave now—farewell, and give Vivian my regards.”

Reluctantly, the Yoshi and Goomba said goodbye to the mouse. Ms. Mowz approached the siren separately. “In due time,” she whispered, offering a wink. Then she vanished; seemingly melted into the shadows.

“I hate how she just appears and disappears out of nowhere,” complained Tank.

“She’s a thief, Tank, stealthy entrances and exits are kind of her thing. I’m more worried that she’s going to spend the whole night alone in the castle surrounded by corpses!”

“Eh, she’ll be fine. You’ve seen her fight. Hell, she won’t even have to fight anyone if she can just...materialize out of thin air like that,” said Tank dismissively as he held open the door to the Petalburg inn. The innkeeper Toad, seated behind a desk, seemed half asleep and looked up vaguely as the three approached.

“Hi there, how much is it for my two friends and I for tonight?” asked Tank.

“Five coins each, fifteen total,” said the innkeeper sleepily.

“No problem,” said Tank, rummaging in his bandana. To Goombella and the siren he said quietly, “I make twice that much off one fight with Rawk Hawk, no big deal.”

The innkeeper suddenly jumped to alertness and stared at Tank with her mouth agape. After a moment she stammered, “The Great Gonzales Jr?!”

“What? Where?!” Tank made a big show of looking behind him; Goombella rolled her eyes.

“Oh my gosh,” said the innkeeper, “I can’t believe you’re here in Petalburg, I never even thought you’d leave Glitzville!”

“Just visiting a couple friends, ma’am,” said Tank. “Tell you what, though. If you keep my being here on the down low, I’ll give you an autograph, huh?”

“Ta—“ Goombella stopped and corrected herself. “Gonzales, that’s bribery.”

“Bribery that works,” replied the innkeeper evenly. “I’ll keep your secret, Mr. Gonzales.” She searched in her desk for a pen and paper while Goombella and the siren exchanged glances behind Tank. The Yoshi champion began to scrawl on the paper; several seconds went by before Goombella asked, “Are you writing a novel or something?”

“I wanted this to be more personal than your standard autograph, dang,” retorted Tank, handing it back to the innkeeper. “Thank you so much for bein’ a fan, ma’am. And here’s your money.”

The three left the innkeeper to squeal over her autograph as they went upstairs. The rest of the inn was empty, several unoccupied beds lining the walls.

“Man, I’m beat,” said Tank, collapsing into the nearest bed with an exaggerated yawn. “From Glitzville to Petalburg in one day!”

“Hey, they went from Twilight to Rogueport to Glitzville to Petalburg,” said Goombella, indicating the siren. “You better get used to life on the road again, Great Gonzales. The cushy life of a champion made you all soft and squishy!”

“I am not soft and squishy,” sniffed Tank. “Far from it. Now leave me alone so I can get some shut eye.”

“Good night to you too,” sighed Goombella, choosing her own bed and settling into it. Within minutes the two were fast asleep. The siren had chosen their own bed in the corner farthest from them and placed their hat on the nearby nightstand before they crawled under the blankets, sighing heavily. There was a nice fresh smell of linen, but pleasant as it was it was distinctly not home. They wished they would wake up tomorrow in their bed in Twilight Town, with Vivian there, ready to explain to them everything about the Door and about Mother. It took them a long time to finally drift into an uneasy sleep.

-

Writhing, mass confusion. Panic, explosions, wailing, the metallic taste of blood, the salt of tears. Cuts, scrapes, bruises, lacerations, broken bones. The end of an era, the apocalypse. Death, decay, destruction. And one word, repeated over and over like a mantra, like the ramblings of a person gone mad.

Cerin. Cerin. Cerin. Cerin. Cerin.


	3. Names and Explanations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably my favorite part of the story as of what i have written down so i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it

They jerked awake, wild eyed. The room fell back into place, along with their memories of yesterday. The inn, Petalburg, Vivian. Across the room, Goombella seemed to be nudging Tank awake, who was swatting at her as if she were a pesky fly.

“You loaf, how did you ever become champion?” the Goomba grunted exasperatedly. “Come on, we gotta go check on Vivian!”

“Five more minutes,” groaned the Yoshi.

“You said that five minutes ago!”

The siren reached for their hat on the nightstand; as their gloved fingers touched the material their nightmare flooded back, and they fumbled and dropped the hat on the ground. But the name…they picked up the hat and felt around for the map, relieved that they hadn’t yet lost it. They put it on just as Goombella turned to look at them.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” they lied. “My name is Cerin.”

“Oh.” Goombella seemed a little nonplussed. “That’s, uh, great. I’ll try to remember that.”

“I was thinking about it last night. I chose it.” That wasn’t too far from the truth, was it?

“Cool. Why don’t you help me get this lazy lump up and ready so you can tell him, too?” She started nudging Tank again, who again swatted at her.

“Fine, I’m up, I’m up,” he grunted, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“It’s about time! Come on, we’re going to see Vivian.”

This seemed to wake up Tank, who hopped out of bed and stretched. He made eye contact with the siren, who said quickly, “My name is Cerin.”

“Yeah? That’s a sick name. I bet Vivian will be psyched.”

They went downstairs and left the inn (the innkeeper excitedly waved at Tank), Goombella leading the way back to Koops’s house. Again, Cerin became conscious of how the people milling about Petalburg watched the three pass. Cerin told themself it was because Tank was a celebrity, but they couldn’t help but feel like there were too many eyes on them rather than the Glitz Pit champion. They were relieved for more than one reason when they stopped at Koops’s door, Tank rapping on it loudly with his knuckles.

Koopie Koo opened the door, saying, “There you guys are.” Cerin looked beyond her, hoping to see Vivian up and about. It took too long for the three adults (was Tank an adult? He’d implied otherwise but he had infinitely more experience than Cerin) exchanged pleasantries, but afterward the Koopa finally let them in.

Vivian was seated at the table with her hands around a steaming mug of something. Though at first glance she seemed normal, a closer inspection revealed small cuts and bruises along her body, especially her arms. Some of her hair had fallen in front of her shoulders, hiding her neck from view, but Cerin remembered Ms. Mowz claiming that she had some kind of wound there. The fire burned. But then she turned to them and the fire died instantly.

They rushed to her; with a big smile, she got out of the chair and knelt down to their level, arms open. The sirens embraced.

“I’m so sorry, little one,” Vivian said softly. “I can’t imagine how worried and afraid you must have been.”

“I’ve chosen my name,” they said after a pause, unsure how to reply. “It’s Cerin.”

“That’s a wonderful name,” said Vivian sincerely. “It seems…familiar somehow.” She hugged them tighter. It felt like all the tension in their core melted away; they sighed, feeling a similar whirlwind of emotions, but this time more subdued. When Vivian ended the hug they were shocked to find that their eyes were wet. They hurriedly wiped them despite knowing that their eyes were hidden.

“Lookin’ good, Viv,” said Tank lightly. His eyes widened. “Uh, I mean for getting beaten up and all— _dammit_!”

“Nice one, Tank,” snickered Goombella. “Seriously, though, it’s awesome to see you. We’re all super glad that…you know.”

Vivian nodded, the smile gone from her face. “That it wasn’t worse. I suppose you’ll want to know exactly what happened.”

That seemed to catch Goombella off guard, as she fumbled verbally. “I, uh, I mean, yeah, but I figured you wouldn’t want to relive it again immediately—“

“I’m fine. Believe it or not, I’ve had way worse. And this is important.”

All eyes were on the elder siren now. She took a deep breath. “I was asleep at home in Twilight when I heard movement in the house. I got up to investigate and saw…what looked like X-Nauts. But their uniforms were all torn, they weren’t walking as much as they were shuffling…I just immediately got a horrible feeling from it.” She grimaced. “I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to set them on fire, but I was afraid I was seeing things, mistaking someone innocent for someone evil, even though they were breaking and entering.” Now she was actively frustrated. “So I waited a moment, and that was a mistake. There were three of them, and all three turned and saw me. That was when I panicked and started jinxing them, but even though I hit almost every time, it’s like they just didn’t feel it. They reached out for me, I was still punching and flailing and throwing fire everywhere, and then one of them kicked me in the back. I went down and immediately another one jumped on me and stuck something in my neck.” She covered the right side of her neck with her hand. “Everything got all sluggish and hazy…I tried to veil myself in shadow, which is what I should have done in the first place, but I couldn’t move more than a little bit, like my muscles seized up. They picked me up and carried me out the door…I blacked out when we left Twilight and woke up here.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” said Goombella in stunned disbelief. “The X-Nauts are behind this?”

“Not just any X-Nauts, dude,” said Tank grimly. “Freakin’ X-Naut zombies!”

“Zombies aren’t real, but the X-Nauts definitely are,” Goombella retorted.

“I don’t get it,” said Koops. “I thought they disbanded indefinitely when Grodus…well, he’s just a head. He’s clearly not in command anymore.”

“But that other guy could be,” mused Goombella. “You know, the guy who piloted that robot in the Great Tree and on their base?”

“Him?” snorted Tank. “Lord Chump or something? Mario and us beat him like five different times no problem, and you think he could singlehandedly resurrect the X-Nauts?”

Vivian raised her hand before Goombella could say anything. “It’s tempting to blame it all on Crump, yes, but I think more sinister things are at play here. These X-Nauts didn’t act…normal at all. They didn’t speak, they didn’t move right. It’s like…it’s like they were possessed.”

“By who?”

Vivian looked down. “I…I don’t know. But I have this feeling that something very bad is happening, and we all need to prepare for the worst.”

Goombella frowned suddenly. “Speaking of…did Koops not fill you in yet? About the Door?”

Koops shook his head as Vivian asked sharply, “What about it?”

Goombella made an unhappy groaning noise. “Long story short, someone’s been trying to break the seal. They might be collecting Crystal Stars to do it. Whether or not they _can_ do it is a different story; I don’t think so since they don’t have the map, but it wouldn’t hurt to be extremely cautious. Hey, wait a minute, wouldn’t you know if they’d be able to—“

“I don’t know for sure,” said Vivian, standing up. “The Door’s only ever been opened once before, and that was because of all seven Stars plus the map while the seal wore off simultaneously. But given the history of the Stars, I don’t think it has anything to do with the map, and we can’t wait to find out for certain. Everyone needs to start finding the Stars, now.”

“For real?” said Tank in bewilderment. “What do we do with them once we have ‘em?”

“Protect it _with your life_.” Vivian’s voice had taken on a serious, authoritative tone that was very unlike her; Cerin had never heard it before and didn’t like it. “When we have all the ones we can find we’ll meet up somewhere safe and…I don’t know, maybe we’ll bring them to the Door and see who follows. But we need to go now. The Stars returned to where they were first hidden, and I’ll bet you anything most of them are unprotected. We don’t have any time to waste.”

The others nodded, recognizing the urgency. “I’ll go to Rogueport,” said Goombella, “and if I find the Crystal Star there I’ll see if I can hunt down Flurrie and Bobbery.”

“I haven’t heard anything from Ms. Mowz,” said Koops worriedly. “I’ll…have to go search Hooktail Castle.”

“I got Glitzville,” said Tank, determined. “I know Jolene has the Gold Star somewhere nice and safe.”

“Cerin and I will go to Twilight Town,” said Vivian. “The mayor has the Ruby Star, and if whoever’s doing this ambushed me they’ll certainly ambush him.”

“Let’s all meet at Professor Frankly’s in Rogueport tonight,” suggested Goombella. “Bring back all our findings. Be safe, everyone!”

Beckoning Cerin to follow her, Vivian rushed out the door first, then ducked behind the outside wall of Koops’s house. Confused, Cerin followed. The shade the wall provided was nice. Maybe Vivian didn’t really like the sun’s brightness and heat either.

“Cerin,” Vivian said quietly, wary of the others filing out of Koops’s house five feet away. “I’m going to teach you a trick every Shadow Siren should know. Do me a favor and think about the pipe in Rogueport Sewers that leads back up to the surface in Rogueport.”

“Okay?”

“Think about the area it’s in. Imagine the walls, the dirt and dust, the air. Paint a really detailed picture in your mind of that specific place.”

Cerin said nothing this time, squeezing their eyes shut. They thought hard about the room, trying to remember every single detail.

“Then,” said Vivian, momentarily breaking their concentration, “veil yourself in shadow. I’ll see you there, okay?”

They opened their eyes, about to ask for clarification, when the ground underneath Vivian seemed to open and swallow her up. With a weird, ghostly noise, she was gone. Alarmed, Cerin froze, but the noise was familiar. They’d done it before, when startled and trying to hide. They had no idea it could be used as…teleportation? They shook their head, trying to clear their mind of any thoughts except ones pertaining to the pipe in the sewers. They focused every increment of their concentration on the area…then willed the ground to swallow them too. And then they were gone, hurtling through a void at a breakneck speed. Yet they felt completely in control if it.

Moments later, they rose out of the ground right in front of the pipe in the sewers. Vivian was there, beaming. “You did it!”

“I did,” they said vaguely, shocked that it had worked.

“That’s called the veil move. We sirens use it to hide, but more often to get from one place to another, quickly.” Her smile faltered a little bit. “There’s…there’s a lot that I need to explain to you about us, Cerin. That’s why we’re here. Come with me.”

The two sirens traveled through the sewers wordlessly; Cerin perceived the silence as awkward and tense. They had forgotten about the powerful throb in their core whenever they were in the sewers, but it was back with a vengeance. While traveling with Goombella the feeling had ebbed and flowed, but now it just got stronger and stronger with each room they passed through. They felt anxious and sick, and couldn’t tell if one feeling was causing the other. Finally they stopped just outside a large doorway, to their great relief as the feeling had reached unprecedented strength and their nausea was rising.

“I’m sorry, Cerin,” said Vivian, “but we need to go in, and that feeling will get as strong as it possibly can. But I promise you’ll be okay.” She glanced over and offered a hand. “Are you ready?”

A little fearfully, they took Vivian’s hand. She exhaled softly. “Let’s go, then.”

As they stepped into the room even Vivian tensed. Cerin cried out loud; it felt as if something had cut them through the stomach.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Vivian muttered under her breath; Cerin wasn’t sure if she was talking to them or herself. A few more steps inside were just as painful, but Cerin distracted themself a little bit by looking around. This new room had an incredibly high ceiling, stone pillars and columns of which many had fallen over or otherwise broken, and a small pedestal in the very center. As they continued, Cerin’s jaw fell open. A massive door occupied the entire wall behind the pedestal. The feeling faded slightly; the door seemed familiar somehow.

Vivian led them to the pedestal, giving them a full view of the giant door. “Welcome,” Vivian said grimly, “to the Thousand Year Door.”

It took Cerin several moments to collect themself enough to speak. “The same one that…”

“Yes. The very same Door from the legend. The same one that’s been magically sealed, and the same one that needs the Crystal Stars to be opened.”

“But…” The young siren approached the door, Vivian not far behind. They gently placed a gloved hand on it, half expecting something to happen, but they only felt the cool stone. “The four heroes in the legend…didn’t they trap Mother behind this door?”

“Yes,” Vivian said with a trace of reluctance.

“But then…” All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place at once. “You and the others…and Mario…they said you all opened the Door… and saved the world from a demon inside…”

Vivian fell silent. Cerin whipped around, fury bubbling in their core.

“The demon was Mother! You—you helped them defeat her! You traitor!”

“Cerin, please—“

“YOU KILLED MOTHER!” Cerin screamed. A black, smoky mist covered the ground at their tail; they raised a hand, and a similar, much larger hand formed out of the mist in an identical position.

“You don’t under—“ Vivian stopped, gaping at the ghostly mimic.

“I understand enough!” snarled Cerin. “You—I trusted you! I thought—I thought…”

The hand dissipated, followed shortly by the mist. Mother’s killer, looking equal parts worried and terrified, was reaching out for them.

Cerin turned and fled, swallowed up by the shadows.

-

They appeared again in the center of Twilight Town. The villagers seemed shocked at their sudden emergence, but they didn’t care. They ran, past the house, through the gate, through the trail. They only stopped when they reached the Creepy Steeple.

Physically drained, they entered the steeple at a slow pace, finally collapsing against the farthest wall, staring at the moonlight warped by the stained glass windows. To their limited knowledge, the steeple was only inhabited by Boos, small ghost creatures with large teeth. Before they met Vivian, they had seen the Boos float around but had been too terrified by their sharp gazes and even sharper teeth to even recognize them as other creatures. Their voices had been too loud and piercing for Cerin to realize they had been trying to communicate, so the Boos eventually gave up and left them alone. Cerin had also confused the moon for a giant eye in the sky, and the wind rustling through the trees to be the hissing of a monster. Vivian had found them while she was visiting the Steeple for its rare golden leaves.

Vivian.

Their head sunk into their hands. Vivian, the one who had found them and took them in, tried to teach them everything she knew, and about themselves, their species. Vivian, their mother’s killer. Tears dripped from between their fingers onto the cold steeple floor. Loud sobs suddenly burst uncontrolled from them, ringing out in the otherwise silent foyer.

Time passed; exhausted and out of tears, they quieted but kept their face buried in their hands. What were they going to do now?

“Uh, hey, kid.”

They flinched and instinctually veiled themself in the darkness. The voice had been high-pitched and screechy, but understandable. They pulled themselves out and looked blearily up at the Boo that hung over them.

“Uh.” The ghost looked as if they were trying their best to not make eye contact. “Sorry about…whatever happened, but that shadow girl is looking for you. She’s just outside.”

“Oh, no,” they whispered hoarsely. There was a staircase nearby; immediately they rose and began to climb it as fast as they could manage, leaving the foyer and the lone Boo behind. As tired as they were from running the entirety of the Twilight Trail, panic spurred them forward. At the top of the spiral staircase was a weird contraption; they tentatively touched it and the top half of it bounced. Summoning their strength, they threw themself on top of it and it launched them into the air; they landed quietly in a small room with large windows looking out over the deeper parts of the forest. The contents of the room made it seem like a modest living space. It contained a green chair, a lamp, a refrigerator, a bathtub with a green curtain, and a small table. On top of the table was a shiny, red, star-shaped gemstone. Immediately drawn to it, they slinked over and picked it up.  The rock’s shiny and multifaceted surface mirrored their reflection back at them in a thousand different ways, and if they turned it just the right way in the moonlight, the entire thing glittered. It was entrancing, and they smiled in spite of themself.

“A Crystal Star?” they muttered. An idea became to form. With all the Crystal Stars, they could open the Thousand Year Door and somehow find Mother and bring her back.

“Cerin!”

The voice almost made them drop the Star. They turned around, narrowing their eyes at the elder siren.

“Is…is that a Crystal Star?” Vivian looked from the stone in the younger siren’s hands to the siren themself. “Cerin, please listen. I promise I’ll explain everything. But I need the Star.”

“No,” growled Cerin, clutching it tighter. “It’s mine, I found it.”

“You don’t know—“

“Shut up! You killed Mother, why should I listen to anything you say?” The anger returned, full force, as did the smoky mist.

“Cerin, this is serious. Hand me the Star, _now_.” Vivian took on that tone they didn’t like again, and their resolve faltered slightly, but their fury flared up.

“You’re going to have to take it from me!” snapped Cerin. The Star was too heavy to hold with one arm, so they took off their hat, stuffed the Star inside, and put it back on. Now their hands were free to control the mist; focusing, they shaped the hand, which looked much more solid than before. They glanced back at Vivian and almost cringed under the look she was giving them; they had never seen the elder siren actually, visibly, angry, but she definitely looked like it now. Smoke and small embers were dancing at her fingertips.

“This is not a fight that you will win,” Vivian said, softly and dangerously. “I don’t want to do this, but if you won’t let me have the Star, I have no other choice. This is your last chance to back out.”

“I’m going to avenge Mother,” Cerin said with an air of confidence they didn’t have. “Even if you decide to kill me too!”

They swatted the air with their hand; the shadowy hand imitated the movement, swiping the air in front of Vivian. The elder siren snapped her fingers and the hand suddenly burst into flames, writhed uncontrollably, then melted into the air without a trace. Suddenly scared but still furious, Cerin summoned another hand, then another.

“Give up!” Vivian’s voice rang out. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“I don’t care!” Cerin yelled back, sending the pair of hands her way.  They punched with one hand and slammed the other on the ground; Vivian hadn’t been expecting both attacks but still managed to narrowly dodge them both. With another snap of her fingers both hands were set alight. Enraged, Cerin punched again, and somehow gained enough control of one hand enough for it to connect with Vivian, sending her flying several feet away. Though she hit the floor hard, she was up again within seconds, looking furious. The hands dissipated, leaving only the smoke from the fire that defeated them.

“You’re strong, but you don’t have enough control to really be a threat,” Vivian growled. “That was a fluke and we both know it. If you would just let me explain—“

“No!” howled Cerin, summoning yet another hand, but this one was almost transparent. “You’re a traitor! How could you turn your back on Mother? Why?”

“You don’t understand what she was trying to do!”

“That doesn’t matter!” They reinforced the hand, turning it almost solid black, and sending it at the elder siren. Vivian dodged the coming slap with ease, but there had been enough force behind it to cause cracks in the stone floor. They looked around; she had vanished.

Then a noise appeared behind them—Vivian was looming over them, her fingertips ablaze. Cerin backed away, one hand on their hat, the other trying to force the shadow hand her way.

“Give me the Star,” said Vivian slowly. There was an ugly, yellowish bruise on her cheek where Cerin’s hand had punched her. On her opposite side, on her neck, was the puncture wound from her kidnappers. Her hair was a mess and her bangs were no longer perfectly positioned to hide her eyes; Cerin could see a dangerous glint of red through the pink strands. Her right hand hovered in the air, fingers prepared to snap once more.

“Are you fighting a _child_?”

Both sirens started, looking toward the entrance of the room for the new voice. A small creature roughly Cerin’s size was leaning casually against the wall. Cerin gaped. It was undoubtedly a Shadow Siren, with the same shade of purple skin and clad in white gloves and a pointed hat, blue and white striped. The only difference was that they had a pointed nose and light purple hair.

“Good _lord_ , Vivian,” said the new siren, a wicked grin on her face. “The kid’s barely four months old and you’re about to set him on fire? I never imagined you would resort to infanticide!”

Cerin had hardly noticed, but Vivian had stepped protectively in between them and the newcomer, one hand facing them as if to push them behind her. The mist Cerin seemed to generate when attacking had faded with their surprise.

“I—You—What are you doing here, Beldam?” stammered Vivian. Her hand was shaking.

“My, my, Vivian,” said the siren in a condescending tone, stepping forward from the wall. “Don’t you know how to say hello to your own sister?”

“What do you want?” Vivian sounded borderline hysterical.

“No need to be so hostile, sis,” sneered Beldam, approaching Vivian slowly and deliberately. Cerin could see that every muscle in the fire siren’s body was tensed. “I was just wondering what my lovelies were up to, is that such a crime?”

“S-Stop playing around and just t-tell me why you’re here,” said Vivian. Unbidden, the dark mist began to swirl around Cerin, but they stayed as still as possible. They couldn’t let Beldam see.

“Fine, but only because you asked so nicely.” Beldam suddenly got up in Vivian’s face, making her cower despite the fire siren being twice as tall. “Give me the child.”

“What? No!” Despite her obvious fear, Vivian’s fingertips crackled.

“Don’t give me any more of this simpering bullshit,” Beldam suddenly snarled. “You know exactly why I’m here, you damned cretin. Our Queen will rise again whether you like it or not, and she’ll be none too happy that you were an active participant in her demise. If you give me the child, I might decide to vouch for you, and maybe then she won’t have you executed on sight.”

“What do you want them for?”

Beldam looked at Vivian with obvious distaste. “I want _him_ because he’s special. Immensely powerful for someone his age, in addition to being the first siren to ever be born outside the palace. And he’s living proof of the Queen’s growing strength! Sirens don’t occur naturally without her influence. He’d be so much happier living the life he was meant to lead under our mother than with _you_ , you sniveling, traitorous freak!”

“You’re the one who’s trying to collect the Crystal Stars and break the seal,” said Vivian faintly.

“What?” Again, Beldam looked at her in disgust. “Did you not hear a single word of what I said, you incompetent goddamn idiot?! What do I care about the Crystal Stars? I have something much more powerful than those stupid chunks of rock.”

“But—“

“Are you really trying to argue with me?” Beldam shook her head, making a tsk-ing noise. “Vivian, sweetheart, you must get more braindead and useless by the day. I know my plan better than you do. Now, cut the bullshit and give me the child.”

“No!” As Beldam reached for Cerin, Vivian’s fist burst into flames and she punched Beldam hard, square in the face. There was a sickening crunching noise. The smaller siren stumbled, clutching at her face, blood dripping from in between her fingers. Vivian seemed shocked at what she’d done, as suddenly she began experiencing full-body tremors.

There was a stunned silence; with a pained groan and another disgusting crunch, Beldam forced her nose back into place. Then she laughed, but it was not at all mirthful, instead flat, sarcastic, and incredibly dangerous. “Oh, Vivian, that may have been the greatest mistake of your miserable life.”

The smaller siren held up her hand, her bloodstained glove open-palmed in a ‘stop’ motion, but she paused. A huge scowl formed across her face.

“My dear,” she said in a low voice, “consider yourself very, very lucky. It just so happens that there is something else I must attend to. But do think over my proposition, because either way, I will get the child. It matters not to me if you live or die in the aftermath.”

Blood continued to gush from her face as the siren turned away, then looked over her shoulder. “Oh, and Vivian?” she asked with a wicked grin. “You’ll never be safe from me. You ought to watch yourself, lest you be… _punished_.”

_“You BITCH!”_ Vivian launched herself forward, fists on fire, as Beldam laughed, in the same instant vanishing into the shadows beneath her. Vivian landed hard on the floor where the siren had been, pounding her fists into it repeatedly, the flames leaving faint burn marks on the stone. Cerin was too stunned to move; they could see tears coursing down Vivian’s cheeks.

“That’s why, Cerin,” said Vivian, voice trembling. “That’s why I betrayed the Shadow Queen. I put up with Beldam’s abuse for a _millennium!_ ”

Her voice rang out in the quiet, then subsided to barely-contained sobs. “Imagine hearing that twenty four hours a day for a thousand years, Cerin…imagine hearing a constant, neverending stream of insults, blame for things that were her fault, at every turn being called ugly, stupid, useless, even _mannish_ …Marilyn was her favorite and it showed, she hated watching Beldam attack me every day but she was afraid if she said something Beldam would pick on her instead, so I don’t blame her for letting it happen…” She sniffed loudly. “But then…then Mario showed me kindness when I’d never known it before, and then all the others…Goombella, Koops, Tank, everyone was nice to me too, even though I’d fought them before, they forgave me, instantly even…”

Vivian turned to face Cerin, face streaked with tears. “The Shadow Queen was going to destroy the world. She _is_ going to destroy the world if we let it happen. I know you can’t have known this, you’re too young, but she’s evil to the core, and she enables horrid people like Beldam to take power and make others suffer.” She shook her head weakly. “Your instincts tell you to serve her, but it’s not the right thing to do. You need to overcome those impulses, Cerin. I did. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner…that I let Beldam make my entire life hell for so long before meeting Mario.”

The two sirens were silent for a long time. Vivian sat up, hooking her arms around her tail and staring blankly at the ground. Slowly and cautiously, Cerin approached. As she looked up, they took their hat off and removed the Crystal Star, silently handing it to her. Vivian looked from the Star to Cerin’s face; they offered her a weak smile.

With a peal of exhausted laughter, Vivian shoved the Star aside and tackled Cerin in a hug. Her laughing turned to sobbing as she remembered Beldam’s threats and squeezed them to her as tightly as possible; she mumbled indistinctly to them, “She won’t get you, I promise she won’t,” over and over.

The two of them waited out the ride of emotions, losing track of time. Vivian finally wiped her eyes and sighed heavily. “How do you feel about going back home until we meet the others in Rogueport? In the meantime I can explain what it means to be a Shadow Siren.”

Cerin nodded; Vivian picked up the Star and the two sirens warped back home. Though it had only been a day since Cerin had left in search of Vivian, they felt like they’d been absent for weeks and felt a wave of relief crash over them as they looked around at the familiar, if burned, walls.

“Are you and Beldam really sisters?” they asked quietly, watching Vivian place the Ruby Star on the table and then collapse into a nearby chair.

“Unfortunately, yes…” The elder siren sighed. “The three of us were created at roughly the same time, only Beldam put in the effort to please the Queen as much as possible. Marilyn and I did too, but…not nearly to the same extent. Beldam’s sole purpose was to serve the Queen, she thought…we all did for many years. But then…”

Cerin stayed quiet, creeping beside her and pulling up a chair of their own. Vivian stared at the multitude of reflections of both sirens on the surface of the Star in front of them.

“There were so many more of us, Cerin. The Queen had an army of Shadow Sirens…there were hundreds of us, at the peak of her reign there were probably over a thousand. We were hand-created by the Queen herself, she shaped us in her image and birthed us out of a combination of darkness and wicked magic. Each of us can control a certain element to some extent, we can hide and travel in shadows, and our eyes…there’s a reason we hide them from sight.” To illustrate her point she swept off her hat and brushed her bangs to the side, giving Cerin the first unobstructed view of her eyes since they’d first met. They were large, her irises were blood red, and thought at first her pupils had been big and round, at the bright light they shrunk into vertical slits. Cerin stared, suddenly extremely conscious of their own eyes.

“If somebody looks into a siren’s eyes, they become entranced and infatuated. It’s mind control.” Vivian shook her bangs back into her eyes, hiding them again.  “The only people immune are other sirens and people who are in legitimate love with one. It’s insidious, because nobody could ever love a siren.” She glanced down at the table, falling silent.

After a moment, Cerin prompted, “What happened to the other sirens?” They’d gone so long thinking that they, Vivian, and Marilyn had been the only ones that Beldam’s appearance had been a major shock. Maybe there were even more.

Vivian inhaled deeply. “The Shadow Sirens were the Queen’s most trusted servants. She sent us places the rest of her army couldn’t reach to give the innocents hell unless they pledged their undying allegiance to her. We were stealthy and powerful, even more so if we caught our…victims off guard, which we always did. So when the Four Heroes arrived to take down the Queen…it’s amazing that they survived at all, between the legion of Sirens and the Queen’s powerful magic. But they did. They were the first ones to ever make it through the Palace of Shadow, where all the sirens who weren’t off terrorizing people lived. And the Heroes defeated her. Years prior she had created the Crystal Stars to make herself even more powerful, and the Heroes used them against her. They cursed her at the same time she cursed them; she trapped their souls in chests scattered across the land, and they trapped her soul within the Palace, behind the Door.” She smiled bitterly. “And what happened to the Sirens? When it became obvious that the Queen was losing, most of us fled the Palace. At first we tried to remain in groups, but…when the Heroes returned victorious, the civilians took up arms against anything that reminded them even a little of the Queen. They knew we were her servants, we all looked just like her, and we’d spent years terrorizing them…”

Vivian swallowed hard. “It became law to kill Sirens on sight, no questions asked.  They said we were unpredictable, untrustworthy, violent, would kill you the second your back was turned…it didn’t matter if we fought or surrendered, they killed us either way. So we kept running…and we kept dying…I stayed with my sisters and by some miracle we survived, but two hundred years after the Queen’s fall, the Shadow Sirens were as good as extinct. I never saw another one other than Beldam or Marilyn until I found you, over eight hundred years later. Maybe somewhere out there, there are a few, living on their own…maybe the four of us are the last of our kind. There’s no way to be sure.”

Vivian was silent again for a long time, the story having reopened old wounds. Cerin, devastated by the tale, also said nothing. Then the elder siren spoke again.

“Sirens are almost immortal, you know. We don’t die of old age…we don’t really age at all, besides the transition from child to adult. But we’re not safe from illnesses or fatal injuries. The Shadow Queen, on the other hand…the legends say she’s a demon, and that may not be far from the truth…I’m not sure if she _can_ die, only be subdued and locked away for a thousand years…everyone seemed confident that Mario soundly defeated her forever, but…a thousand years might as well be forever for them. They won’t live to see it, not even close. But we will.”

Another extended silence. Cerin looked down at themself, not sure if they were glad to know the truth about their species or not. They overturned the words of both elder sirens in their head for a long time.

“Where did I come from? I mean, how was I born?”

Vivian was quiet for a moment. “Truthfully, I’m not sure. Beldam seemed to think you were proof of the Queen’s growing power, but…the way she created Sirens was complex and intimate, not exactly something you can do indirectly a thousand miles away. I think Beldam is wrong, but…that doesn’t explain how you were born naturally, because as she said, that doesn’t happen.” She laughed suddenly, a sharp, loud sound devoid of humor. “Maybe the rumors the civilians spread a thousand years ago were true. Maybe Sirens really are the physical manifestation of evil and negative emotions like fear.”

Cerin gently put a hand on her shoulder and she sighed. “I’m sorry, Cerin. All I’m doing is being negative and self-loathing. It’s just…our history isn’t a good one and our reputation still suffers, even today. You’ve seen how slow most people are to trust us. We look…shady, for lack of a better word. I sometimes wonder how much of that is held over from the legends.”

She shook her head quickly, as if trying to clear it. “But there’s still so much you don’t know, pertaining mostly to your powers. All Sirens have associated elements; mine is fire, Beldam’s is ice, Marilyn’s is electricity. When there were more of us there were plenty others…water, plants, earth, air. But yours…”

She rose suddenly, brushing past Cerin to look for something in the back of the house. She returned shortly, holding a rectangular mirror that Cerin recognized as the same one she had used to show them what they looked like.

“Take your hat off and look at your eyes,” the elder siren instructed.

They did so, having forgotten what their eyes looked like; having them covered all the time almost made them forget they were there. They lifted up the fringe of their hair, staring at the color of their irises.

“Purple,” they muttered. A dark purple, darker than their skin. They glanced up at Vivian inquisitively. “What does purple mean?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” admitted Vivian. “Your eyes and hair should be more or less the same color, but clearly they’re not…I just made your hat black instead of purple because I thought it would clash less.” She turned around and lay the mirror against the wall, deep in thought. “Your powers manifested in a way that was…eerily reminiscent of the Queen’s own power. She has a hand motif. And I can only think of one Siren who had powers similar to yours…she was the first Siren the Queen had ever successfully created…devoted entirely to her, even more than Beldam…her name…” She groaned in frustration. “Her name escapes me, though I know I know it.”

“So what does that mean?” asked Cerin nervously.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a coincidence…unlikely, but we don’t have any other evidence,” the elder siren replied. “What’s more important right now is whatever Beldam’s plotting…she clearly has something to do with everything that’s happening. That’s the first time I’ve seen her since the Queen’s defeat…” She shuddered violently.

Fearing what would happen if they left Vivian dwell on the encounter for too long, Cerin glanced at the clock on the wall. “We’ll have to leave for Rogueport soon…I’m hungry.” And tired; the strain the fight had caused was suddenly taking its toll. Vivian must be even worse off given her struggle yesterday.

Vivian nodded, stifling a yawn. “There’s some leftover shroom fry in the fridge, if that’s okay. I’m going to see if I can get some rest. Do you mind watching the Crystal Star?”

“I will,” said Cerin, remembering the serious tone Vivian had taken on in Petalburg. _Protect it with your life._ Beldam had claimed she wasn’t at all interested in the Crystal Stars, but better safe than sorry. As Vivian went into her small bedroom and quietly closed the door behind her, Cerin opened the refrigerator and dug out the plate of aforementioned shroom fry, then found a fork and began eating it cold. They seated themself in front of the Star, contemplating the situation as they ate. A hundred reflected Cerins stared back.

They polished off the food and pushed the plate to the side, crossing their arms on the table and resting their chin on them. They kept their gaze locked on the Star. The history behind the artifact was unimaginable; over a thousand years old, created by the Queen to heighten her power, but in the end that very thing had been her downfall. Turns out you could say the exact same thing about Vivian, they thought with a soft chuckle.

“What’s your story, Ruby Star?” they asked quietly. Their eyes were getting harder to keep open…they’d close them for just a minute.

Within seconds they were out cold.

-

Screams of terror pierced the air. Everything reeked of blood. Shrieking, war cries, absolute chaos. They fled, flying down the long hallway deep underground, to the throne room, throwing themself against the huge wooden doors and making them burst open with a bang.

“My Queen!” they yelled, sprinting across the enormous room. The Queen, or rather her vessel, a young human girl with dark hair and eyes but eerily pale skin, was sitting unperturbed on her throne, but now she looked mildly concerned.

“Cerin,” she said, her booming, powerful voice not at all matching her innocent appearance. “What causes us this undignified panic?”

“My Queen,” they gasped, throwing themself facefirst on the ground in a rushed, clumsy bow. “The entire Palace is under attack—four heroes with extraordinary power—Sirens are dying--they’re coming this way--they intend to destroy you!”

The Queen laughed, a sound that filled the entire room with ease and made the walls shake. “Cerin, I expected less naivety from you. There is not a mortal soul alive that can wound me. Go release the dragons.”

“I already have, my Queen,” they wheezed. “They defeated Gloomtail with ease—Hooktail is too weak to pose a threat and Bonetail—“

“Enough.” The Shadow Queen raised a single hand, cutting off the out of breath Siren. “Very well. If these fools wish to commit suicide by opposing me, I will not stand in their way.”

There was a commotion nearby; the pounding of footsteps and the shouting of unfamiliar voices echoed down the long hallway.

“They’re here, my Queen, they’re here!” screamed the siren hysterically.

“Leave, Cerin.” The Queen’s face had hardened into an emotionless mask, eyes on the door. “This fight is not yours to witness. Report back to me when I am done here.” She raised one hand and seemed to be concentrating hard. In moments, the faint outlines of stars began to appear, floating around her.

“Cerin! Begone! Now!” the queen ordered. The battered siren had no choice but to obey, sinking quietly into the shadows as the heroes barged into the throne room…


	4. Regroup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no earthly idea how long this story is going to be guys. i thought i was gonna wrap it up ttwo weeks ago and then i scrapped that ending and i'm still working on it right fucking now. i even have plans for a sequel which is stupid because who writes a goddamn sequel for a thing that's not even complete yet. i need an intervention.
> 
> anyway this chapter's substantially shorter and (imo) less interesting. i just really like writing dialogue i guess, i hope there isn't too much of it. i'm always open for constructive criticism too, or basically anything you want to ask/tell me. oh god please talk to me

 “Cerin! Cerin, wake up!”

They snapped to attention; Vivian had been gently but firmly jostling their shoulder. The dream lingered in their memory briefly but was melting away the more they tried to hold on to it.

“The Star?” they asked in a daze, seeing that the gemstone was no longer in front of them.

“I have it. You should have told me you were tired, Cerin, what if someone broke in while we were both asleep and stole the Star?”

“I’m sorry,” they said sincerely.

Vivian sighed. “It’s fine, nothing bad happened. But we do need to start heading to Rogueport, it’ll be nightfall there soon. Can you stand teleporting via shadows again, or would you rather walk the old fashioned way?”

“I want to try teleporting,” said Cerin, standing up and reaching for the plate they’d abandoned hours ago, dumping it into the sink. “Is it…possible to mess up and…disappear?”

“It’s possible for something to go wrong during, but chances are you’ll just pop out somewhere random. It happens to the best of us, there’s no need to worry.” Vivian offered a kind smile. “But if you’re tired it’s best that we walk.”

Cerin shook their head. “I can do it.” Truthfully they were still a little tired from such heavy use of their powers, plus their back was stiff and their neck ached from falling asleep at the table, but they were confident they could make it.

“All right.” Vivian felt around in her hat, presumably checking to make sure the Star was still there. “Let’s go, then.”

She turned away slightly, giving Cerin a full view of the bruise they had inflicted on her cheek, and they cringed, guilt swamping them.

“Vivian?”

She turned back, puzzled. “Is something wrong?”

“I..I just wanted to say…” They swallowed. “I’m sorry I…attacked you…”

Vivian gave them a small but sad smile. “I’ve had much worse, little one. I can’t blame you, you couldn’t have known any better.”

“But the others will notice. What are you gonna tell them?”

The elder siren gained a pensive expression, and she ran her left hand over her cheek self-consciously. “I never thought about that…let’s say we ran into some trouble on the trail, maybe. An Amazy Dayzee who meant business. Does that sound like a good alibi?”

The super-powerful flower enemies native to the Twilight Trail were renowned for their scarcity and incredible strength; it was as good of a story as any, and much preferable to the truth. Cerin nodded, following Vivian as she sank into the shadows.

The two sirens reappeared in Rogueport’s center square. The sun was slipping beyond the horizon, so fewer people were out and about, but Vivian suddenly grabbed Cerin’s wrist and pulled them close to her.

“It gets dangerous here at night,” she whispered. “Stay close to me.”

“What’s that thing?” asked Cerin, pointing with their other hand to the wooden structure in the very center of the plaza. They’d only given it a passing glance before, when they were on their way to meet Tank, but they were intrigued by the rope dangling from it, blowing softly in the breeze. Vivian stiffened.

“That’s…that’s a gallows, Cerin.”

“Oh.” That explained nothing. “What does it do?”

“It, um…hey, want to go check out the harbor? I bet you’ve never seen the ocean up close.”

“Okay.” Cerin frowned to themself, not fooled by the elder siren’s sudden change in topic. But because it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it, they didn’t push the topic further as Vivian led them past the structure in a rush.

A flight of stairs took them down to the docks; Cerin gaped at the vast stretch of ocean before them, turned gold by the setting sun. The air smelled heavily of salt and grime. Burly sailors walked past them, presumably heading home for the day.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Vivian wistfully. “Rogueport’s ocean view isn’t exactly the best ever, but…for me, it’s plenty good enough.” She pointed to a pier sticking out into the ocean. “That pier is where we last saw Mario and the princess as they boarded the ship to take them home…” She trailed off, suddenly melancholy.

“Do you…miss him?” asked Cerin, venturing into territory they had no experience with.

Vivian shrugged. “I guess so, but it’s more that…I miss the camaraderie. Mario has this…aura of unlimited determination and heroics…being around him makes you feel like you can accomplish anything. The rest of us fed off of that…it felt especially good to me because I’d never really felt…confident in anything I was doing. But being with Mario and the others, knowing I was finally doing something _good_ and saving the world…that’s what I miss the most. I mean, I guess we’re saving the world again, but it just feels different without Mario…”

She shook her head, snapping herself out of her reverie. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. We should go to Frankly’s.”

The two sirens returned from the harbor, neither saying a word. Vivian still seemed to be deep in thought, probably reminiscing about the past. Knowing of the Shadow Sirens’ sordid history, Cerin was afraid she’d go too far back and think about the years before Mario and the others. Their heart ached; they only wanted to see Vivian happy.

Vivian knocked quietly on the door of the professor’s modest house. Almost immediately Goombella threw it open, beaming at the sight of the sirens.

“Vivian! Cerin! Man, I’m so glad nothing bad happened to—“ She stopped abruptly, her gaze falling on Vivian’s face. “Uh, spoke too soon. That’s a shiner there, what happened?”

“Would you believe it was a rogue Amazy Dayzee?” asked Vivian, giving an awkward smile as she stepped inside, Cerin right behind her. “Came out of nowhere…I was expecting it to run away but instead it launched itself at me. I had barely enough time to react, I think I’m lucky I only got away with a bruise.”

The siren sold the lie with expertise, Cerin marveled quietly. Goombella seemed a little perplexed.

“That _is_ really weird. Dayzees exclusively attack by singing, I’ve never heard of one who got physical.”

Both sirens tensed; Vivian laughed nervously. “Yeah, it was, uh, really strange…”

Goombella seemed about to ask more questions when there was another loud knock on the door. “You guys make yourselves comfortable, but keep it down, the professor’s asleep upstairs.” She turned away to get the door. Vivian and Cerin sank into chairs next to each other, Vivian slapping a palm against her forehead.

“Should have said it was a Swooper in the steeple,” she grumbled to herself. Cerin put a comforting hand on hers; her unhappiness was overwhelming. They pulled away as Koops entered, looking even more nervous than usual.

“I have bad news,” he said, worry etched into every line of his face. “I’m completely empty-handed. I went to Hooktail Castle to find Ms. Mowz and/or the Diamond Star and didn’t see either of them. And she didn’t show up this morning, either…”

The three others exchanged concerned looks. “Well,” said Goombella in a faux-optimistic tone, “you know how she grabs what she needs and hightails it out of there. Maybe she found the Star and vanished, putting it somewhere safe?”

Koops didn’t seem convinced, uneasily settling himself in a chair and staring blankly at his feet. Vivian wore a similar expression. “That’s terrible news, but I’m afraid I can raise you one…”

“Where is Tank?!” Goombella demanded, glaring at the door. “How much do you wanna bet that he’s off stuffing his face somewhere, the—“

The door suddenly slammed open, nearly flattening Goombella against the wall. “I’m here!” hollered the Yoshi in question.

“Would you shut up!” hissed Goombella. “Professor Frankly’s trying to sleep, and also you could have _killed_ me!”

“Sorry, dude,” Tank said, actually looking a little sheepish. “But I have the Gold Star, check it out!” He rummaged inside his bandana and pulled out the magic gemstone, his beaming face almost as bright as the Star as it caught the light.

“Thank god,” groaned Goombella. “All is not lost, for once.”

“Man, would you believe where Jolene was hiding this thing?” continued the Glitz Pit champion. “I thought she’d have it in her desk or something, but no—she hid it under the Glitz Pit stage, exactly where that sicko Grubba kept his power-draining machine! I never woulda thought to look there!” He paused his story, for the first time noticing the faces of the others. “Hey, why’s everybody lookin’ so beaten down?”

“Bad news from all sides,” said Koops grimly. “Both Ms. Mowz and the Diamond Star are gone…no idea where either of them could be.”

“Aw, you gotta be kidding me.”

Goombella shook her head. “I searched every inch of this forsaken town, and no sign of the Crystal Star. But I did take a trip to Boggly Woods. I was hoping to find Flurrie in her house, but she wasn’t there, she must be off touring somewhere still…it’s gonna be impossible to track her down in person. But since I was there I paid the Great Tree a visit, and look what the Puni Elder gave me.” She turned around, retrieving something from behind one of the professor’s enormous bookshelves. She held it up; it was a dark green Crystal Star, just as shiny as the others.

“The Emerald Star! Nice!” said Tank. “Man, why are you all looking so glum? We have two of the Stars already, that’s not bad at all for day one!” His enthusiasm didn’t catch on. With a pout, he turned to Vivian. “So what did you guys dig up? And ouch, how’d you get that wicked bruise?”

“Long story,” said Vivian dismissively. “The good news is, we did in fact find the Ruby Star.” She carefully pulled off her hat and extracted the Star, placing it gently on the table. Koops and Goombella both gave small but legitimate smiles and Tank pumped his fist in the air.

“All right, three Stars down! So what’s the bad news?”

Vivian interlaced her fingers together and leaned forward, hunching over herself. “Remember how I said that the mayor of Twilight Town had it? Well, he didn’t. Cerin and I dropped in on him and asked for it. He seemed just as surprised as us when he couldn’t find it. So we searched the entire town, then moved on to Twilight Trail, which is how I got this.” She pointed to her cheek. “Enemy caught me off guard. Anyway, then we went to the Creepy Steeple and searched everywhere there too, even all the hidden rooms. The last place we looked was the belfry; you know, where Doopliss used to live before Flurrie took him in. And the Star was right there on the table, as if it were waiting for us.”

Even Cerin was captivated by the story. They’d never realized that the Star hadn’t been where it was supposed to be, and come to think of it, it was incredibly suspicious that it was out there in plain sight. They thought they’d run across it by chance, but…their eyes widened behind their hair.

“We took the bait, obviously.” Vivian paused to collect herself and took a deep breath. “And then my dear sister dropped in on us.”

“You mean Beldam?” asked Goombella, immediately frowning.

“She’s the fat one, right?” asked Tank.

“Tank, oh my god!”

Vivian shook her head. “I wish it had been Marilyn. But it was Beldam…it’s the first time I’ve seen her since…well, you know. She said...she wanted…” Here Vivian faltered. Cerin knew she was trying to decide how much of the story to tell them. “She…uh…she implied that she was the one trying to bring back the Shadow Queen, but she said she didn’t care about the Crystal Stars, and I believe her, given that she let us have this one.”

“Vivian punched her in the face and broke her nose,” Cerin added helpfully.

There was a drawn out silence as the audience processed the story.

“Damn,” said Tank at length.

“Damn,” agreed Goombella.

“Vivian, is there…something you’re not telling us?” asked Koops gently.

“What? No.” Her answer was firm. Too firm. Koops raised an eyebrow.

“There, uh…are a couple inconsistencies in your story,” said Goombella, looking awkward.

“I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vivian stammered. Cerin winced. “I’m telling the truth, why would I lie?”

“That’s what we’re wondering,” said Koops. His tone, while still quiet, became even more serious, and it immediately set both sirens on edge.

“Hey, yeah,” said Tank, as if it were suddenly dawning on him. “What do you need to hide from us, huh? We’re your friends!”

“Guys,” said Goombella quietly, but Vivian’s suddenly angry reply drowned out her voice. “Some things aren’t any of your business!”

“Yeah, well, maybe they should be ‘cause you’re acting super suspicious right now!” the Yoshi shot back. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were working for the Shadow Queen again!”

  
_“What?!”_ Pushed to her limit, Vivian rose, a scowl twisting her face. “How _dare_ you! Some friends you are, implying I’d—I’d go back on everything—“

“Guys!” Goombella hopped onto the table, standing between the two with a panicked look. “Keep it down! Relax, no one’s accusing anyone—“

“That sounded like an accusation to me,” snapped Vivian.

“Maybe there’s a reason I sound like I’m accusing you!” yelled Tank, balling his fists.

“Tank, stop!” Koops demanded, standing up abruptly. “Quit pushing her!”

“Too late,” hissed Vivian. Cerin watched in horror as her fingertips began to crackle; but just as they began to fear the worst, the tiny embers faded from sight. In what looked like one fluid motion Vivian snatched the Ruby Star off the table and sank into the shadows beneath her.

“Vivian!” Cerin cried, staring after her in horror. A stunned silence occupied the room for several long, horrible moments.

Goombella was the first to break it. “Tank, you—you _asshole!_ ”

“What are you blaming me for?” Tank snapped. “I’m not the one who was actin’ all weird, giving us a story full of holes!”

“You didn’t have to tell her to her face that you thought she was working for the Shadow Queen again,” said Koops flatly. “You really think that was a good idea?”

“I said if I didn’t know any better I’d say that!” Tank protested. “Are you—don’t tell me that that thought didn’t cross your mind!”

“You can’t just _say_ things like that!” said Goombella.

“So you admit you were thinking it too!”

“I—“ Goombella’s face fell, unable to defend herself.

“If you must know what she was trying not to talk about,” said Cerin hollowly, summoning everyone’s full attention. “She taught me about Shadow Siren stuff. Our history. It’s not happy. It took me so long to put the pieces together…I didn’t realize that our mother was the Shadow Queen. When she told me, I called her a traitor and attacked her. That’s how she got that bruise.” Their right hand dug their nails deep into the skin on their left arm. “Beldam found us when we were fighting. She told us she wants me, because I’m special. Vivian protected me from her, even after I’d called her a traitor and a killer and hurt her in more ways than one.” They jerked their head up sharply to face their audience, trying their best to convey a glare without revealing their eyes. “ _That’s_ what happened.”

Another stunned silence. Tank’s jaw nearly touched the floor. He seemed to be about to say something, but Cerin had had enough. They pushed themself off the chair and slipped into the shadows.

-

To Cerin’s immense relief, Vivian had gone straight back home to Twilight Town; when they arrived at the house her bedroom door was closed. They stood outside her door for much longer than they wanted to, repeatedly raising their fist to knock and then dropping it. Did she want to be alone? Or did she need someone to be there? Finally, sick of their own indecision, they cautiously knocked and called, “Vivian?”

There was movement on the other side of the door. It opened, revealing the elder Shadow Siren, who looked like a complete mess. Her pink curls were everywhere, some strands of hair clinging to her face. Her hat was missing, as were her gloves. Cerin glanced into what they could see of her eyes; she’d clearly been crying.

“I…” they began, not sure what to mention first. She could very well still be angry, and then… “I told them the truth. Not all of it, just…how you got hurt…and what Beldam wanted.”

After a pregnant pause, Vivian sighed. “Thank you, Cerin. I’m sorry I forced you to explain all of that…”

They shook their head. “No, it’s okay. I handled it.”

She nodded absently, then straightened up as if she remembered something important. “Cerin, I wanted to say…I’m proud of you. You’re so young, yet you’re also so capable and understanding.”

A stupid grin found its way onto Cerin’s face, and they quickly turned their gaze to the ground, bashfully rubbing the back of their head.

“I have to say, after today I’m fried…let’s do something that involves less interaction tomorrow, how does that sound?” said Vivian with a small smile.

“Like what?”

“I was thinking we’d go to Keelhaul Key, see if we can pick up the Crystal Star there.”

“I’m in,” they said eagerly. They’d come to realize they liked visiting new places, especially when there was no one being kidnapped or otherwise in immediate peril.

“We’ll have to take the long way since you’ve never been, so rest up,” said Vivian. “Good night, Cerin.” She offered them what looked like a small but genuine smile and quietly closed the door.

Too awake to go to bed themself yet, Cerin made themself some tea and pulled a book from the bookshelf, reading it as they drank. It was a book they’d read many times before; a fictional tale written centuries ago about a Toad and his familial issues, complete with ghosts, swordfighting, and iambic pentameter. It was one of Marilyn’s favorite books, allegedly. Vivian had said that she didn’t particularly like the author because she preferred stories with happy endings, and given that the Toad along with several other characters died at the end, Cerin figured the author was known for stuff like that.

They glanced out the window at the rest of the town; the moon never moved in the sky, but it must have been fairly late at night as nobody except the crows seemed to be outside. With a quiet sigh, they closed the book and polished off their tea. They couldn’t stop thinking about how the other Shadow Sirens vanished; they didn’t want to believe that they and Vivian and her sisters were the last four on the planet, but if Cerin had been the first Siren Vivian had seen in eight hundred years…their stomach turned. What if something happened to Vivian, or even Marilyn? They may not be affected much by aging, but Vivian had said they were just as susceptible as anyone else to injuries or illness. The thought of being alone sent shivers down their spine, and they gripped the empty mug tightly, trying to ground themself.

 _Protect it with your life_ , Vivian had said. She may have been talking about the Crystal Stars at the time, but silently Cerin vowed to apply it to her, and Marilyn, and…well, maybe not Beldam, but certainly any other Siren they came across if there were any more out there. They glanced at the mug in their hands and, concentrating hard, they managed to summon a wispy and thin shadowy hand to grasp it. But it was a lot of work, and the second their focus lessened the hand melted away. They frowned, thoroughly surprised at how hard it was to form their powers when they weren’t angry. Maybe they could get some practice in…they probably needed to get a grip on their powers sooner rather than later with people like Beldam running around. Determined, they tossed the mug in the sink and went to bed. They didn’t realize how much they missed their lumpy mattress and old blanket; it smelled so much like home that they didn’t care. Their nerves settled slightly by the familiarity, they drifted off to sleep.

-

“This is probably a good spot,” the Boo murmured to herself, staring out the huge windows of the belfry. The moon hung ominously in the sky and the forest sprawled outward for miles in every direction. She took a moment or two to marvel at the beauty of the trees and the night sky before finally removing the Crystal Star from the sack she had slung around her. The Ruby Star shimmered in the moonlight and she gave it a weak smile.

She examined the room further, not surprised to find it empty. It was just a belfry, after all. But the darkened corners of the room gave her an idea. She leaned in close to the Star and began whispering to it in an ancient tongue, magic words that suddenly made the artifact fade from view. She floated to the furthest, darkest corner from the makeshift doorway, literally just a hole carved out of the stony walls, and braced herself as she dropped the Star on the ground. The invisibility spell wouldn’t last forever, but she’d done all she could in her weakened state.

She waited a moment, feeling no different. She knew not how the curse from the Shadow Queen would manifest and assumed it would have been more painful…unless it only activated when she moved away from the Star. Steeling her nerves, she suddenly turned and leaped out the window.

Being able to float had its advantages. She drifted downward gently, almost casually, until she hovered about a foot above the ground. Then the curse hit; she gasped in pain, feeling as if something was writhing around inside her body, trying to break free. She needed to distance herself from the Star as much as possible…she fled through the woods. With every inch between her and the Star the feeling got stronger, more painful, more unbearable. But she refused to slow down, phasing straight through tree branches, hissing in pain from the curse.

Though her journey took less than a minute, it felt like four lifetimes as she came across a clearing and realized instantly she could go no further. Screaming in agony, she dropped to the ground. Less than a foot in front of her something began to materialize out of nowhere. As it took shape, she realized it was a chest, solid black and heavy-looking, its lid open wide to reveal a pitch black abyss. Still the pain increased, reaching an intolerable severity, too strong for her to even manage screaming anymore.

“No more,” she whispered hoarsely, “please, no more…”

She slumped forward. The chest shuddered and slammed shut, the sound having a finality that echoed in the dying Boo’s mind…


	5. Keelhaul Kalamity

Cerin awoke with a start, groaning as they realized they’d had another strange dream. Something about the Ruby Star? They heard noise in the main room of the house and got out of bed, their annoyed frown at the dream giving way to a smile when they smelled something delicious.

Vivian was standing over the stove and offered them a smile as they entered the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Bacon and eggs?” they asked, approaching her to look inside the pan. Generally, food like that was reserved for when Marilyn came and other special occasions.

Vivian nodded. “I figured we could use the extra strength on our trip today. Maybe we’ll get lucky and bring home some treasure, or otherwise things we can sell for a little extra money.”

“What kinds of enemies are at Keelhaul?” asked Cerin as they sat at the table, remembering last night and how they could barely summon their power.

“Uh.” Vivian stumbled for a moment. “Well…there are a lot of Fuzzies, and Piranha Plants. In the grotto there are Bob-ombs, Buzzy Beetles…a few ghosts here and there, probably.” She frowned. “I’m not a fan of the ghosts, my fire heals them. It’s a pain.”

“There are actually ghosts?”

Vivian nodded, still busy with the food. “Pirate’s Grotto is the lair of Cortez, the undead pirate king. They’re his minions, I guess. They look more like little fireballs with eyes, Cortez himself is way scarier looking.” She laughed a little. “Everyone was so scared of them, Goombella especially, but they’re really not that much different from us. Maybe that’s why I really don’t mind them unless they attack me first.”

Having nothing to contribute, Cerin stayed quiet, reaching for the book they had left on the table last night and stuffing it back into the shelf.

“I was thinking I would maybe practice my powers there,” they said after a pause.

“That’s not a bad idea,” came the reply. She seemed much more upbeat today than before. Maybe it was on account of not getting kidnapped, fighting with the siren she’d rescued and nursed to health, fighting with her cruel abuser of a sister, and then getting told by people she trusted that they didn’t trust her. They blinked as all this dawned on them. Maybe they’d get her some flowers…girls liked flowers, right?

They thanked her as she set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of them and tore into it ravenously, scarfing it all down before Vivian was even half-finished with hers. She gave them an inquisitive glance, to which they retorted, “I was hungry!”

“I figured.” She smiled, finishing the rest of her own breakfast and tossing the plate into the sink, giving a disdainful look to the pile of dirty dishes accumulating. “We can deal with that later,” she grumbled. “Ready?”

“Yeah!” Cerin was almost out the door when they turned back, seeing Vivian leaning on the table, scrawling something. They turned back, looking over her shoulder at what she wrote.

_Marilyn—_

_Cerin and I (that’s the little one’s name) have gone to Keelhaul Key on a search for the Crystal Stars. It’s a very long story that I’ll explain when we come back. Something sinister is on the rise; please be careful and_

Vivian paused here, tapping the end of the pen against her chin.

_and please stay away from Beldam, she’s up to no good._

_\--Vivian_

She dotted the “i”s in her name with hearts.

“In case she shows up,” said Vivian. “It’s been almost two weeks…but she can take care of herself, right?”

She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than them, but they agreed anyway. Filled with equal parts excitement and nervousness, they led the way out of Twilight Town and through the hated pipe. When their tail touched the stone floors of Rogueport Sewers, the pulsating, powerful feeling returned full force and made them groan out loud.

“What _is_ this feeling?” they asked, one arm pushing slightly against their stomach. It wasn’t nearly as bad as when they were up close to the Door—yet.

“Another lovely thing about being a Shadow Siren,” said Vivian in a strained voice; she clenched her fists and then released them, relaxing slightly. “No one but us gets it…it’s a reaction to being close to the Door, and to the Palace…it’s the Shadow Queen begging for us to release her.” Her expression soured. “Cerin…the others knew my sisters and I worked for Grodus to bring back the Queen…they’ve probably assumed we’re affiliated with her further than that, too, they’re not _blind_. But they don’t know how deep it runs…I think they assumed there’s only three--well, four of us Shadow Sirens and that we’re low-ranking grunts or something…they can’t know the truth, okay?”

Cerin nodded. They’d agree to anything if Vivian would stop making that sad, almost bitter face. And they didn’t really want to explain the bloody history of their species any more than Vivian did. They remembered Tank’s words from last night and bristled.

As they traversed the sewers, Cerin was bursting with questions about the past but only settled for one. “When you and the others went through the Palace…did you…remember anything?”

Vivian didn’t answer for a very long time. Finally, as they entered the room with the blue pipes, she said, “I know you’re expecting me to say yes, and I just…acted like I didn’t for the sake of the others. But, truthfully, I was really young when the Shadow Queen fell…maybe even a little younger than you. My memory of the first six hundred years after her defeat is fuzzy, too…so no, not really. There were a few rooms that I subconsciously recognized more than anything…mostly the throne room…” She trailed off. “Why?”

Now it was Cerin’s turn to be awkward. They stalled for a while, climbing up on the stone pillars after Vivian. Before they touched the blue pipe she indicated, they said quickly, “I wanted to know what it’s like.”

Again, the silence stretched out. Vivian seemed to be thinking hard about her next words. At length, she said, “Dark. Like, actually dimly-lit…lots of candles, because electricity wasn’t exactly popular a thousand years ago…traps everywhere…long hallways…” She looked up, having turned her head downward while reaching into her memory. “We should go, we’re burning daylight.”

They knew the conversation was over, so they obeyed, traveling through the pipe. They emerged in bright sunlight, almost as bright as Glitzville had been, and screwed their eyes shut instinctively. The place was much quieter than any place they’d been besides the steeple; they opened their eyes to find themself looking out over the ocean, its blue waters lapping on the shore. The sand was white, and beyond the beach was a jungle, bursting with colors and overgrown with flora. The only noises were the waves and the wind rustling the leaves, and the air was humid and sticky.

“Whoa,” they said in a hushed whisper. The pipe behind them made a noise as Vivian emerged.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” she said. They nodded emphatically, too overcome to speak yet.

“This way,” said Vivian, leading them away from the shore and to a small clearing with makeshift shacks and stalls. There was an inn and a shop, but little else. A squat figure stood by the shore, overlooking the ocean; Vivian said excitedly, “That’s him!” and waved, calling, “Admiral Bobbery!

The person turned; they were a grizzled Bob-omb in well-loved sailor’s garb with a fairly impressive mustache. His eyes lit up when he saw Vivian and he approached, beaming. “Vivian, dear girl, it’s been too long!” Then he made eye contact with Cerin and glanced at Vivian in shock. “And who’s this young scallywag? I never even knew you had been expecting! Why, you look no different from when I last saw you!”

Vivian froze for a moment but laughed awkwardly. “No, no, Bobbery, I’m not—this is Cerin, they’re a, uh, family friend. No…no relation. Cerin, this is Admiral Bobbery, he’s the one who navigated us here a couple years ago.”

“Oh! Greetings, Cerin. My apologies, Vivian,” said the old Bob-omb, readily accepting the lie. “You two just look so similar, I jumped to conclusions. My mistake. Erm, what are you doing here, anyway?”

Vivian explained the situation with the Crystal Stars; by the end Bobbery looked as if he were about to blow a fuse. “The nerve! Who would dare decide to endanger the entire world once again for their own selfish gain?!”

“We have some suspects,” said Vivian guardedly, “but no direct evidence. The plan is to gather the Crystal Stars before they can, whoever ‘they’ are.” She looked behind her at the shore where they’d first exited the pipe. “Would you happen to know where the Sapphire Star is?”

Bobbery made a “harrumph”-ing noise. “Truthfully, I haven’t seen it since the defeat of the Shadow Queen. Perhaps it is back with Cortez’s treasure…unfortunately the old ghost is away at sea at the moment, on some secret business he outright refuses to even mention, much less allow me to tag along.” He huffed, evidently displeased. “I suspect he’s off plundering innocents, or trying to, anyway. He swore he would be back in a day or two and told me to hold down the fort here, as it were.”

“We might not have a day or two to spare,” said Vivian. “What if he doesn’t have the Star?”

“It could be in the Pirate’s Grotto,” said Bobbery. “But you’ll have to fight your way through from the beginning of the cavern. The hole that Cortez blasted through the end of it crumbled and closed several months ago.”

Vivian frowned. “That makes it a lot more difficult…”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re thinking of going alone,” said Bobbery. “Poppycock! I’m coming with! A journey through a dark, damp cave is far more exciting than sitting here on the beach, watching time pass me by.”

“You mean it?” asked Vivian.

“Dear girl, would I lie to you?” said Bobbery, winking at her. “Shall we be on our way, then?”

“I guess, if everyone’s ready.” She glanced at Cerin to make sure, who nodded eagerly.

“I will lead the way, if no one minds,” said the admiral. “I’ve spent many an hour here in the jungle, and I would daresay I know it like the back of my own key!”

The Bob-omb took the lead, reminding the sirens to watch for aggressive flora or fauna. When they figured they were sufficiently out of Bobbery’s earshot, Cerin whispered to Vivian, “What are you expecting?”

The elder siren seemed confused at first but then suddenly flushed. “Nothing! I’ll…I’ll explain what that means later.”

Discontented with this answer but choosing to hold their tongue anyway, they looked around at the deep, overgrown jungle. Though the trio was traveling on the very edge of the jungle, where the undergrowth thinned out significantly, when Cerin peered between the leaves and bushes they couldn’t see more than a few feet before it went dark. Fortunately for all of them, their path seemed to avoid entering the true heart of the jungle altogether. It was more or less a straight line on the outskirts of the trees, in fact. They had been expecting something more…organic and natural, maybe. It puzzled them.

They couldn’t help but keep glancing into the undergrowth, captivated by how dense it all was, nothing like the sparse bushes and dead trees of Twilight Town and the open, rolling meadows of Petalburg. A weird feeling kept washing over them, giving them goosebumps despite the sweltering heat. Something just seemed amiss somehow...the instincts that had kept them alive during their isolation in the Creepy Steeple were flaring up, telling them to run, or at the least be very careful. They glanced ahead to Vivian and Bobbery, but the two were lost in conversation. Vivian didn't seem very bothered, but she was pretty good at hiding it. But they didn't want to interrupt their playing catch-up just because they were paranoid, so they turned back to the green and yelped in surprise—they were certain a pair of eyes had been staring at them. They fell backward, landing with their back flat against the grass. In moments both Vivian and Bobbery were standing over them, looking concerned.

“Are you all right, lad?” asked Bobbery as Vivian extended a hand, helping them up. Before Cerin could respond something flew out of the bushes at them, smacking them square in the face and knocking them over again. Bobbery yelled and Vivian squealed as Cerin swatted at the _thing_ on their face, finally knocking it off and scrambling to their tail.

“Damned Fuzzies!” swore Bobbery; the old Bob-omb’s fuse was lit as he glared at the creatures that had ambushed them. They looked like tiny little puffballs with bulging eyes and gaping mouths. Three of them, two pink and one green, bounced around Bobbery in a circle, making small noises as they did so that sounded like “mee-ork.” To their left Vivian was also smacking at the Fuzzies, punching a green one so hard that it skidded in the dirt and then setting the rest on fire with a snap of her fingers.  In the next instant Bobbery suddenly exploded; when the dust settled he looked entirely unharmed, but the Fuzzies surrounding him had gone. Disoriented, Cerin turned to their left. A pink Fuzzy, presumably the one that had tackled them, was staring at them. It didn’t look ready to pounce, unlike the others. It was just…there, staring. It was kind of giving Cerin the creeps.

“Cerin!” Vivian suddenly hissed. They turned to look at her and she held her hand, palm inward, in front of her forehead. Then she swiped downward in front of her face exaggeratedly. Cerin realized with a jolt that their hat had been knocked off in the scuffle and reached for it, quickly putting it on before Bobbery saw; their hair wasn’t quite long enough to completely cover their eyes and the Fuzzy colliding with them had thoroughly messed up their bangs. Realization dawned on them as Vivian pointed at the gaping Fuzzy and gave a subtle shake of her head.

“No one’s hurt?” asked Bobbery, approaching the sirens. He looked from Cerin to the Fuzzy, to Vivian, back to Cerin. “Why isn’t it attacking?” he asked quietly.

“Cerin made a friend,” said Vivian; though the young siren had been afraid she was upset with them for accidentally infatuating a Fuzzy, of all things, her voice now sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

“That’s…quite abnormal behavior for a Flower Fuzzy,” said Bobbery, bemused. “They tend to be the most bloodthirsty, in fact. But I suppose it can’t be helped. Let’s push onward, shall we?”

The Bob-omb set off again, Vivian following close behind, covering her mouth so he wouldn’t see that she was smiling. Awkwardly, Cerin turned to the smitten Fuzzy; it was drooling a little.

“Um, you can go now,” they said. The Fuzzy blinked, one eye at a time.

“No, really. Uh…shoo? Go away?”

The Fuzzy made no indication that it understood or even heard. Scoffing and throwing their hands up, Cerin turned their back on the thing, making it only a foot away when the Fuzzy suddenly leaped on their shoulder, perching there comfortably. Cerin was startled at first, but the Fuzzy’s fur, nestled between their shoulder and cheek, was surprisingly soft and warm. If they couldn’t get rid of it, it might as well hang on for the ride, they decided grudgingly.

As they caught up to Vivian, she turned around and giggled at the sight of the Fuzzy on their shoulder. “That’s so cute!” But the smile vanished from her face as she said sternly, “I mean, you can’t go around entrancing people like that.”

“It was an accident!” Cerin protested as the Fuzzy nuzzled against their face, making a weird noise that might have been a purr. “I never wanted to entrance anyone. How do I let this thing go?”

The Fuzzy suddenly drew its tongue across their cheek, making Cerin grimace and Vivian nearly smile again. The elder siren said, “It’ll wear off on its own if you don’t make eye contact with it again. Or you can control its brain and command it to stop being possessed.”

“Oh, well, that’s intuitive,” grumbled Cerin. But it was worth a shot. They turned to the Fuzzy, concentrating hard on…something. They imagined controlling the Fuzzy, making it bow to their every command…they imagined one of their shadowy hands closing around its mind in a vice grip…the Fuzzy’s eyelids half-closed and it began to salivate even more.

“You are free from my spell. Begone,” whispered Cerin, not knowing where the words were coming from. The Fuzzy’s eyes closed completely and it rolled straight off Cerin’s shoulder, faceplanting into the dirt. In the next moment it was back up and looking equal parts confused and furious, and as it threw itself at Cerin again, they were ready. They swung; a hand burst out of the shadows where their tail connected and smacked the Fuzzy away, sending it careening through the air and landing in the bushes with a thump.

They jumped back, the hand fading from sight instantly. They felt as if they’d been struck with a surge of power…especially when controlling the Fuzzy. They looked ahead to Bobbery and realized with a jolt that they could just as easily manipulate _him_ simply by showing him their eyes…and there was a new part of them, some yawning chasm deep inside that suddenly craved that control. Fearful, they raced to catch up with Vivian.

“Did you get rid of it?” asked Vivian, not turning around as she heard them approach. She hadn’t been expecting them to suddenly cling to her arm, and she jumped a little. Then she sighed, reaching down and rubbing their back comfortingly.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I forgot what it’s like to first have that part of you awakened…from now on you’ll probably be tempted to control almost everyone you see, and you have to fight that urge…”

“Really?” Their insides knotted with anxiety.

“We were _made_ to manipulate and control, Cerin,” said Vivian bitterly, her voice barely above a whisper now, wary of Bobbery only a few yards ahead. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and continued in a less cold tone, “But you can overcome all these stupid instincts and impulses, okay? You can even reduce them down to nothing. It’s hard at first, but…worth it in the end.”

“I say, what’s keeping you two?” called Bobbery over his shoulder. “We’re nearly there!”

It happened in slow motion; a vividly-colored Piranha Plant burst out of the ground inches in front of Bobbery, opening its mouth wide enough to swallow the Bob-omb whole. Simultaneously, Cerin released Vivian’s arm as she aimed at the plant; Cerin, nerves frayed, pointed at the enemy as well, watching as the shadow hand erupted from the ground and flew toward the plant. Vivian’s fire scorched the plant’s head and Cerin’s shadow snaked up its stem, forming a solid chokehold. The plant made a horrendous wheezing noise, Bobbery turned around and yelled in panic, and the plant fell forward, smoldering and faintly gasping, its tongue flopping out of its mouth.

 None of them spoke for what felt like a thousand years. Bobbery finally broke the silence, turning to the pair of sirens and saying loudly to cover up the definite shake in his voice, “Er, thank you both. That Putrid Piranha would certainly have gotten me…”

“No problem, Bobbery,” said Vivian, one hand clutching her chest. “Let’s just…keep going, yeah?”

They continued onward in silence; Cerin stared at their hands, moving their fingers and clenching and unclenching their fists. They felt like they were slowly getting more of a handle on their powers, but…they hadn’t intended to _strangle_ that poor Piranha Plant. It was hard to say if they or Vivian had done more damage to the thing, but Vivian was the experienced fighter. They were too jumpy to summon the hands now; they stayed close by Vivian’s side and kept their gaze straight ahead, every sense primed in case something else came out of nowhere to attack.

“Here we are,” said Bobbery not too long afterward, slowing down and stopping in front of what looked like an enormous and very solid rock. There was a hole in the rock just big enough for someone Vivian’s size to squeeze through.

“Bobbery, you don’t have to come with--,” began Vivian, but the sailor cut her off.

“Stop talking nonsense this instant. These cads are after the Crystal Stars, dear girl! Nothing is more important than seeing them in the right hands. I am going nowhere.”

“Thanks, Bobbery,” said Vivian. She sounded relieved, and the way she relaxed after the admiral had spoken told Cerin that she hadn’t wanted to traverse the cave without him.

The three of them entered the grotto; only a few steps inside the light from outside faded and they were wading through darkness and shallow water. Vivian held up her hand, creating a small fire in her palm, illuminating the way slightly. With the other hand she grabbed Cerin’s, squeezing the younger siren hard.

Every sound echoed through the entire cavern, so they no longer talked, trying not to preemptively alert all the enemies to their presence. Despite the dampness and emptiness of the grotto, Cerin found themself fairly at ease. The darkness was a welcome reprieve from the suffocating heat and blinding sunlight of outside, and now the weird sensation that something was off had gone too. The enemies seemed few and far between; Bobbery and Vivian quickly dispatched all the ones they had seen without Cerin feeling the need to jump in. They were thankful, still trying to warm up to their sometimes grotesque powers, and especially the urge to infatuate anything that had eyes. How was Vivian able to stand it?

“I believe we’re almost there,” said Bobbery at length. Though his voice was quiet, it echoed for several seconds, bouncing off the rocky walls.

The cavern had felt like it had been getting steadily narrower the further they went, but it suddenly opened back up into a very large, very wide room, filled with water from the ocean. It was dark, even with Vivian’s firelight. There was a boardwalk, its wooden slats rotting, that led from one side of the room to the other. The three approached the end of the boardwalk, Bobbery turning to look at the sirens with a frown.

“This _was_ where Cortez’s ghost ship once rested,” he said. “But there’s no sign of the Star.”

Vivian, still holding Cerin’s hand, tried to aim her light across the room and through the water. Bobbery shook his head. “Friends, I’m afraid we’ve reached a dead end.”

“But…” said Vivian quietly. “The Stars returned to where they originated. The Sapphire Star isn’t tied to Cortez or his ship, it’s tied to the Grotto…”

“Really?” Bobbery asked, sounding genuinely curious. “How do you know?”

“It’s what the legend says, isn’t it?” said Vivian, slightly defensively. “The Koopa hero tried to hide the Star here, in the Grotto. Cortez may have taken it from him, but…I think the Koopa relinquished the Star just before Cortez arrived. The Sapphire Star belongs to the Grotto, not to him.”

“That’s all well and good, Vivian, but that doesn’t explain where—“

“There!” cried Cerin, seeing a small glimmer of something beneath the waves. Bobbery stopped talking and peered over the boardwalk, trying to find where Cerin was pointing.

“I don’t see anything,” said Vivian, tightening her grip on Cerin’s hand.

“You think it’s in the water?” asked the admiral. “That’s…right dangerous. These seas are all too often rife with sharp-toothed fish that are not at all shy about taking an experimental bite of whatever they come across.”

“I know it’s there,” said Cerin insistently, tugging at Vivian’s hand.

“Cerin, maybe it’s just the way the light is reflecting off the water—“

“You know it’s there too,” said Cerin sharply. There was a reason they had fled to the belfry of the Creepy Steeple, and there was a reason why Vivian had been reluctant to believe Bobbery’s claim that the Sapphire Star was with Cortez. They hadn’t realized it then, but it made sense that sirens were so drawn to the Crystal Stars, right?

They yanked their hand out of Vivian’s grip, whipped their hat off their head, tossed it onto the boardwalk, and dove headfirst into the water. They only heard Vivian’s and Bobbery’s alarmed cries for a split second before they connected with a slap and the freezing, salty water blocked out all noise.

They were momentarily blinded, the salt stinging their eyes, but they forced themself to open them. Their tail, for once not connected to anything, thrashed around wildly, propelling them forward slightly. But they had lost sight of the Star. Terror began to creep through their veins, colder than the water. Their chest was beginning to hurt and they could feel their heart pounding faster; they whirled around desperately, scanning the darkness for even the tiniest shimmer.

There, at the very bottom! Unthinkingly, they swam further down, feeling as if they were being swallowed by the abyss. The small reflection vanished and reappeared with the motion of the waves but they kept their burning eyes locked on it, at last coming close enough to grab a pointed edge of the Star. Their vision was slowly getting darker and their chest burned; they gritted their teeth and clung to the Star with all their might as their body shuddered. The walls were closing in—they tried to inhale and spluttered—they felt as if they were rising—the world faded from view.

-

They breached the surface, gasping for breath around their hat gripped in their teeth, paddling furiously with one hand and clinging to their quarry tightly with the other. With a final burst of strength they forced themself out of the water, dragging the other siren onto land. Collapsing onto the cold sand, they coughed, dropping their hat and clearing their lungs before they turned their attention to the siren beside them.

“Lillian!” With a surge of panic they rolled the unconscious siren over so she faced the sky. “No, no, no, Lillian, you can’t die on me,” they babbled, sweeping her long green hair out of her face and pressing their head against her chest, listening. Suddenly the siren coughed; they jumped back as she turned to her other side and forced up all the water she swallowed. They slipped their hand into her own as she did so, relief mingling with more panicked worry that only subsided when she turned back to them, a weary but small smile on her face.

“Cerin, sweetheart,” she said, weakly but tenderly cupping the other siren’s cheek with her other hand, “you can’t hope to get rid of me that easily.”

“Lilly,” they moaned, curling up close next to her; her skin was freezing from the cold water and the cool night air. “Never, ever scare me like that again.”

“I have to keep you on your toes somehow,” she replied, shivering as she pressed herself against the older but smaller siren. “I lost my hat.”

“No you didn’t,” said Cerin, spying the hat floating on the surface of the water, a hundred feet away, on a swift course to the middle of the ocean. With a grunt they sent their powers after it; the pitch black hand shot out over the surface of the waves, snatching the hat and returning with it. Lillian smiled as she took the hat from the shadow and wringed it out. “Thank you, darling. What would I do without you?”

“Let’s not think about that,” said Cerin wearily, glancing over the horizon. “We must go…it’ll be daybreak soon.”

“Cerin,” said Lillian with a pout, “this is a deserted island. There’s no one here to see us.”

“Better safe than sorry,” insisted Cerin, though they didn’t move from where they were pressed against Lillian. “This is where ships come to die, you saw all the wreckage on the shore. And I heard rumors from the crew on ship that this place is the dread pirate king’s secret lair…they say he abandons his victims here to starve to death.”

“And you believe them?” said Lillian incredulously. “Those fools on ship weren’t smart enough to discover two stowaways even though we weren’t nearly as careful as we could have been. And even if any of those asinine rumors were true, the two of us can certainly handle some half-starved person who’s already been roughed up by pirates.”

Cerin said nothing. Lillian sat up, overlooking the shore. “This place is beautiful,” she said sincerely. “The water is so pretty…and look at this gorgeous jungle, imagine how many plants there are in there.” She turned to the other siren. “It’s very private, too. Cerin, we could live here forever and no one would know. No more running from everyone…no more watching Sirens die…no more living in fear t-that you could be next…” Her breath hitched and her voice trembled.

“Lilly, please don’t cry.” Cerin sat up and took both her hands in theirs. They exhaled quietly. “If this place makes you happy, then…then we can stay.”

“Oh, Cerin, you mean it?” The siren’s face lit up, though her eyes still shone with unshed tears. Cerin, smiling serenely, nodded. With a noise that sounded like a barely-contained sob and a cry of joy combined, Lillian nearly tackled Cerin in a tight hug and then brushed her lips against theirs. The two of them broke apart several moments later with flushed cheeks and shy smiles.

“We should, uh…build a place to stay or something,” said Cerin, their brain suddenly not functioning at full capacity.

“That will be no trouble,” said Lillian dismissively. “I can bend plants to my will, silly, we’ll live in a house alive with flora! We can live deep in this jungle, and befriend all the wildlife, and find ways to cook with tropical fruit, and…”

Cerin listened to the other siren go on and on, feeling a warmth flooding through their chest as the sun’s first rays crept over the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enter the lesbians  
> yeah things are going to get much more interesting from here out assuming i can ever get this finished. i start school on monday so that's probably gonna hinder my progress a little, the good news is that i already have like 80% of the story written out, i just don't want to post it before i'm completely positive that i'm not going to go back and change little details. i'm totally making this shit up as i go along so revisions of past chapters are completely necessary. 
> 
> anyway i'm doing my very best to try and wrap up the whole thing and when i do i'm gonna post what remaining chapters there are in quick succession. also i'm sorry for the chapter title i'm fundamentally a terrible person


	6. Visitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops my pacing is terrible  
> i wanted this chapter to be longer but combining it with the next chapter is Too Damn Long. so not much really happens, i hope i'll post what might as well be the other unofficial half sometime this weekend if things go well  
> anyway yeah i'm getting there, i'd even say i'm almost done writing out the whole story. i've been mentally working on this since like the beginning of june so when i finally get it done it'll be a huge relief  
> also because i'm a shitty person i ended up writing a prequel (without even finishing this main story completely) regarding life for shadow sirens under the reign of the queen and particularly two characters that haven't yet been officially introduced. i'm quite proud of it so when i finish this once and for all i'll probably post that shortly after, it's about 16k words.

They came to with a start, and in the same instant turned over and vomited sea water into the sand. Coughing weakly, they rolled onto their back, eyes aching too much to open them at first. The air was still humid and salty, and when they listened closely they could hear the distant crashing of waves on the shore. Still on Keelhaul. It was hot, too hot, and they groaned quietly. At last they wrenched their eyes open, still stinging from so much exposure to seawater. They appeared to be in some kind of tent, on a hammock made from a tarp. Their head swam before remembering: the Grotto, the Star. They sat up too fast and nearly vomited again from the movement; they felt a pair of hands pushing their shoulders back to lie on the bed.

“Easy, kid, take it easy,” said an unfamiliar voice. “You almost drowned, you need to relax.”

Knowing they weren’t wearing their hat, they shut their eyes and waited. The person said to someone nearby, “They’re awake.” In a moment Vivian was by their side, they could tell from the small noises her movement made.

“Cerin, are you okay?” she asked, filled with concern. They nodded, still slightly nauseous and not wanting to risk opening their eyes.

Understanding, Vivian made the stranger in the room step out, making some excuse and apologizing profusely. “He’s gone,” she said, and they glanced at her. She looked sick with worry. In her hands was their hat, which looked like it had been nervously wrung for a while.

“Where’s the Star?” they asked.

“Bobbery has it. He nearly jumped in after you, and he would have sunk like a rock, I barely stopped him in time.”

Relaxing significantly, they allowed themself to lie back on the bed, exhaling slowly. They looked themselves over and realized they seemed really no worse for wear despite apparently almost dying. But their skin felt like it was covered with some kind of tacky film and their gloves were missing, too.

“Cerin, that was so…so _stupid_ of you to do,” Vivian said. Her voice shook; it sounded like she was trying to be mad but was too overcome with worry to muster any anger. They’d rather her be angry; guilt washed over them and they dropped their gaze to the ground. A second later Vivian was hugging them tightly.

“I’m sorry,” they mumbled.

She sighed, out of exasperation or relief they couldn’t tell. “I know…you did the right thing, even if it was the dangerous and stupid thing to do as well. I don’t know how else we could have gotten the Star…”

“How did—“

“When you touched the Star it must have risen out of the water, and you were draped over it, unconscious. Bobbery and I thought you were—“ Her voice choked up, and she paused to collect herself before continuing. “He was so upset he exploded and blasted straight through the wall. We brought you back to base as soon as possible and you’ve been here in the inn since.” She handed them their hat; they smoothed out the wrinkles and put it on, immediately feeling less exposed.

“How are you feeling? Tell me the truth this time.”

“Gross,” they admitted, grimacing at the salty, sour taste in their mouth and the grainy, coarse texture of their hair against their face. “Sick, tired…”

“It’s definitely best to get out of the heat, for both of us. Do you think you can stand to warp back home?” She offered them their gloves. They were slightly damp still, and smelled faintly of sweat and seawater, but they put them on anyway.

“I can try.”

“You had a near-death experience, Cerin, please don’t push yourself. We can always walk or even wait here for—“

“I said I wanna try,” they said stubbornly. When they sat up the nausea only rose for an instant. Considering this an improvement, they swung their tail over the edge of the hammock and connected it to the ground. As tired as they were, they’d much rather ride out the rest of the exhaustion at home in Twilight rather than here on the beach. The heat and humidity were suffocating.

“If you say so,” said Vivian wearily. “We have to say goodbye to Bobbery first, okay?”

She led them out of the tent, profusely thanking the Toad innkeeper for his understanding. Bobbery was seated on a ledge sticking out into the sea, who turned as the sirens approach.

“You’re already up and at ‘em, eh, Cerin?” said the admiral brightly. “Corking!”

“Against my better judgement,” said Vivian, “we’re going to head back to Twilight Town and recuperate. It was lovely to see you again, Bobbery. I’ll be sure to come find you should we have another Star-finding meet up, the others have missed you.”

“Aye, I’d proper appreciate being kept in the loop.” Bobbery rose to his feet and offered them a smile. “It was excellent to meet you, Cerin, and even better that we managed to retrieve the Star, near death experiences aside. Vivian, I expect to see you soon. Kindly give my regards to the others, and travel safely.”

The sirens said their farewells and warped back home to Twilight Town. Vivian looked concerned, but Cerin was beginning to feel better. The dusky sky was much preferable to the endless furnace that was Keelhaul.

“You picked up warping really easily,” said Vivian as they entered their house. “When I was your age I could barely do it at all. It’s like you’ve had some extra practice or something.”

She looked around the main room, finding the house empty and the note she left for Marilyn untouched. “I guess we were only gone for a few hours,” she said mostly to herself.

“I need to shower,” said Cerin, tired of the sand in their hair and the salty film all over their skin.

“You do that. I’m going to step out and sell a few items I picked up from those enemies. I think I’ll also visit Rogueport and run some errands, if that’s okay. I’ll be back soon.”

They waved to the elder siren as she left the house again, closing the door behind her. They entered the small bathroom, taking off their hat and pulling off their gloves, unimpressed with the weird scent that permeated them. They tossed the gloves in the sink, filled the basin with water and soap, and let them soak as they turned to the shower and turned it on.

 Their brain switched to autopilot as they stepped in and washed themself, rinsing off the uncomfortable film of evaporated salt water on their skin and scrubbing the sand out of their scalp. It didn’t take them very long to zone out completely, losing track of time, as if it were draining away like the water that ran off their skin. Abruptly a weird sensation swept down their spine. They jumped, ripping back the shower curtain and squinting suspiciously at the empty bathroom. They could have sworn they felt as if they were being watched, but nothing seemed out of place. They even checked the room for suspicious shadows, as if there might be a fellow siren hiding in the floor, but found nothing. Yet the damage had been done. They finished up, thoroughly unnerved, and dried themself off, their skin prickling at the mere memory of the feeling. It was all too similar to the feeling of general wrongness when they’d been traveling through the jungle, and now they looked over their shoulder at every shadow.

Despite their mounting anxiety, they physically felt better, so they tried to shake off the paranoia and hung their towel and gloves up to dry, returning to their bed with a book they’d only read once before. This one was about an average Goomba who found himself suddenly wrapped up in the affairs of aliens and other interdimensional beings as he traversed the galaxy. They dozed on and off, apparently still sleeping off the exhaustion of nearly drowning, and only awoke what felt like days later, the book open on top of their face.

Disoriented, they nearly rolled out of bed, managing to catch themself at the very last moment. They rubbed their eyes as they walked into the main room. The house was empty. They remembered the feeling of being watched and panicked momentarily, but then they saw a note on the table, in a different place than the one Vivian had left for her sister. They picked it up.

_Cerin—_

_I’m collecting Golden Leaves in the Steeple. There’s some leftover shroom roast in the fridge. I’ll be back soon._

_\--Vivian_

At the mention of food Cerin’s stomach growled loudly; they felt like they hadn’t eaten in a very, very long time. Eagerly they pulled the food out of the fridge but chose this time to microwave it. They checked the clock, then rubbed their eyes and looked again. That couldn’t possibly be right, they fell asleep in the early afternoon, why was it nine in the morning?

They realized they really had been out that long and winced. So much for getting the Crystal Stars in a timely fashion.

Vivian returned not too long after they’d finished their food and cleaned off their plate. There wasn’t much fanfare. She just seemed glad that they were awake and feeling much better, and at their insistent worry about the progress of the Crystal Stars, she promised that that night they would drop in on Goombella in Rogueport.

“Even after what happened last time?” Cerin asked before they could stop themself.

Vivian shrugged. “I don’t want to feel like I have to prove anything to anyone. All that matters to me is that we stop the Shadow Queen again. Besides, Goombella wasn’t the problem.”

There was an awkward silence. Remembering the sensation from yesterday, Cerin asked quickly, “Have you felt like you’re…being watched recently?”

Vivian’s head turned sharply. “No,” she said. “Have you?” Her fists clenched.

“Yesterday…when you left—“

The door burst open with a bang. Vivian screamed and Cerin yelled, both whipping around to face the door, aiming at the intruder.

“Tank?!”

The orange Yoshi nearly collapsed on himself in the doorway, panting so hard his breath came out in wheezes. The fire on Vivian’s fingers vanished and Cerin forced the hands that stretched out of the shadows pooling at their tail to dissipate.

“Tank, what’s wrong?” asked Vivian, approaching the Glitz Pit champion but still extremely on edge. Cerin hung back, eyes fixed on the door.

“Is something chasing you?” asked Vivian with rising panic. Tank, still gasping too hard to speak, shook his head and held out his hand, one finger extended, in a “wait” motion. He took several more wheezing breaths, swallowed, and managed to rasp out, “Your sister...”

“Which one?” Vivian tensed even more, if that were even possible. Tank gasped, coughing a little.

“Which one, Tank?!” Flames suddenly licked across Vivian’s hands, gone in an instant. “Was it Beldam? What did Beldam do?!”

“Not her,” Tank said at last between gasps. “The fat one…” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Found her in Poshley Heights…took a beating…alive,” he added, seeing Vivian’s expression change from shock to horror. “Alive ‘n conscious…but roughed up.”

“Oh my god,” said Vivian in a whisper, her hands covering her mouth. “Do you know what happened?”

Tank shook his head, finally catching his breath enough to speak in full sentences. “Figured I should find and tell you guys. C’mon, I’ll explain on the way there.”

Tank immediately turned around and went out the door, Vivian close on his heels, looking sick with worry. Cerin followed, closing the door behind them.

“So I was there at the Heights, right?” Tank was saying. He was still breathing hard and walking at a slower pace than normal. The Twilighters watched the group pass, pointing at the Glitz Pit champ and whispering to each other. The three of them went down the pipe, and Tank continued his story when they emerged in Rogueport Sewers.

“I was looking for the Garnet Star in the Sanctum. I found it, by the way. And I was just about to leave when there was this big commotion over by the rails, and I looked and it was your sister—what was her name?”

“Marilyn.”

“Right, yeah, I knew that. She looked awful but she was still standing, it freaked the hell outta all those snobby old rich people. They were surrounding her like they couldn’t decide if they wanted to get her some help or just watch her from a distance without her bleeding on them—assholes. So I fight my way through the crowd and yell at her that I know you. Her whole face lights up and I part the crowd like the Red Sea, I take her to the inn and slam down all my cash and tell them that they need to watch her like a hawk while I run and get you. I get her all settled in but she won’t talk to me, like, at all. It’s like she doesn’t even hear me and I start worrying if whoever or whatever attacked her messed with her head—“

“Tank,” Vivian interrupted. “Marilyn’s deaf.”

“She’s _what?_ ”

“Mostly deaf, I mean,” Vivian said. “She can really only hear you if you speak really slowly and loudly, or if she reads your lips. It’s just easier to use sign language most of the time, though.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Tank groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. “No wonder she never answered me, I’m such an asshole!”

“If it helps, she’s a huge fan of yours,” said Vivian. “She almost certainly couldn’t hear you when you yelled at her, but she must have recognized you and knew you and I were friends.”

“Oh.” Tank considered this for a moment. Almost self-consciously, he said, “Speaking of friends, I wanted to say I’m sorry for—“

“Can we talk about that later? What happened to Marilyn?”

“As far as I know she’s still at the inn.”

“No, what did she look like? Could you tell what attacked her?”

“Oh!” Tank paused for a moment. “She was laced with cuts, man. None of ‘em looked super deep but most were bleeding. She had, like, bite marks a few places too, and she was covered in sand and stuff ‘cause it looked like she’d come from the desert, like where Riverside is.”

“Bite marks,” repeated Vivian worriedly. “What’s out there in Riverside that bites?”

“Pokeys, Ruff Puffs, Smorgs,” said Tank, as if he were reading a list. “But none of those are exactly known for their bites. I mean, for all we know the Smorgs have secret little mouths somewhere and your sister managed to piss ‘em all off at the same time.”

Vivian and Cerin exchanged confused glances, unsure if the Yoshi was serious.

They entered the rooms with the blue pipes; Vivian led them past the first room and into the second, climbing onto the ledge the furthest away.

Poshley Heights was, as the name suggested, an extravagant and fancy but small town where the rich and famous dwelled. Though the small group rushed immediately to the inn, Cerin was able to get a good look at the Sanctum, a large stone building with many stairs and columns. The grass was a vivid green and very neatly trimmed, the roads were so smooth it felt as if they had been poured yesterday, and each house they passed had its own front yard and often a pool.

Tank threw open the doors to the inn (it was actually a fancy hotel) and yelled to the Toad innkeeper behind the desk, “Yo, how is she?”

“Comfortable but unresponsive, Mr. Gonzales,” said the innkeeper, looking unnerved.

“That’s fine, I got her sister, she’ll fix things,” said Tank, walking to the elevator and impatiently pounding on the button several times in a row.

“Mr. Gonzales,” said the innkeeper in a tone of voice that indicated she’d rather be anywhere else than here, “if that… _person_ …is going to only be staying one night, the cost will only come to 30 coins. You gave me 300.”

“Man, keep it! Call it a tip!”

“Tank,” said Vivian quietly, “you should go sort that out.”

“Viv, please,” snorted Tank. “I’m loaded enough to live here myself, it don’t matter at all to me if I gave ‘em one or a billion coins.”

“What Vivian means is that this is siren business and she wants to be alone with Marilyn,” clarified Cerin.

“Cerin!” hissed Vivian, embarrassed, but Tank only looked at her, not at all offended. “That’s it? Jeez, girl, you shoulda just said so.”

He returned to the desk, to the chagrin of the innkeeper. The elevator arrived, and Cerin could feel the Toad’s gaze burning on their back as they ducked inside.

“Not big on subtlety, are you?” said Vivian dryly as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent. Cerin shrugged, and she sighed. “I guess there probably wasn’t any other way to get through to him…” Her fingers knotted. “I hope Marilyn’s okay...she’s easily the strongest out of all of us, even Beldam. Whatever attacked her would have had to be…really powerful to win…”

The elevator dinged and came to a stop. Still nervously twisting her hands, Vivian exited, Cerin close behind. A Toad custodian in the hallway took one look at the pair of sirens and pointed them further down the hall. “Number 336, on your right.”

Vivian thanked them and hurried on, at last coming to a stop beside the door. She reached out to knock, then stopped herself and instead just opened it. Cerin crept inside after her, nervous for some reason.

The large Shadow Siren was in bed, facing away from the door. Vivian approached cautiously, placing a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder. Marilyn jumped, but when she turned and saw her sister, she made a loud noise and immediately gripped her in a bear hug. Cerin heard the wheeze of air escaping from Vivian’s lungs, but she gave no indication that she was uncomfortable and hugged her back. When the two sirens broke apart Marilyn began furiously signing. Though Cerin was immediately lost, Vivian seemed to be following with ease, nodding with a concentrated expression and at one point clapping her hands over her mouth.

“But that means…” she said out loud before signing the rest of her sentence. Marilyn nodded grimly.

“Oh my god,” said Vivian quietly, looking devastated. Cerin approached the two warily, but when Marilyn laid eyes on them, they suddenly found themself on the receiving end of another hug. They just held their breath until Marilyn put them down; Vivian had been signing to her, and the bigger siren nodded and made a C shape with her hand, placing it on her chest.

“That’s you,” said Vivian to the younger siren. “That’s your name. It’s easier than having to spell it out.”

“What happened?”

Vivian took a deep, unsteady breath. Marilyn slung her arm over her sister’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Marilyn was attacked by another Shadow Siren.”

_“What?”_ A thrill of panic surged through their core.

“She happened to be near Riverside Station…she likes to travel the desert to practice her magic. But she was suddenly assaulted by Piranha Plants, and those aren’t anywhere near native to the desert. Another siren was doing it…one who controls plants. Marilyn was swamped by them…she only saw a glimpse of the siren themself but she couldn’t handle the plants all at once and she ran and hid…”

Vivian kept talking, but Cerin suddenly was no longer able to hear her. A Shadow Siren that controlled plants…they could paint the image of such a person in their mind, every little detail…their dream…all their dreams…their heart thudded in their chest as every one of their dreams came flooding back to them.

Vivian was suddenly there propping them up; they hadn’t realized they’d nearly fallen over. Both sirens’ eyes were locked on them.

“Cerin, what’s wrong?” asked Vivian urgently.

“Lillian. Her name is Lillian.”

They felt a pinch at the nape of their neck and blacked out.


	7. A Tale of Two Cerins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now we're getting to the real meat of the story  
> hopefully this sheds a little bit of light on things that have been happening? i'm eager to get this done so there might be another few chapters coming out relatively soon. thank you to everyone who's been reading, and everyone who just came across it now.  
> i have a huge world built around these characters and i love talking about it so if you ever have any questions about literally anything i will definitely provide a more detailed answer than you ever wanted  
> also i'm so sorry for the chapter title but i thought of it like two months ago and have been dying to use it since

They awoke in complete darkness with a pounding headache and no idea where they were. They thrashed around in a blind panic, feeling the shadow hands form around them protectively.

“Oh, Cerin,” said a voice that was familiar yet unfamiliar simultaneously. They jumped, then finally getting their bearings, dissipated the hands and grabbed whatever was covering their eyes and threw it aside.

They were lying down on something solid and they scrambled to sit up, but their vision swam and their stomach lurched with the movement. With a groan of pain they threw a hand over their eyes, trying to readjust. They were in the shade of some ramshackle hut, built of wood and surprisingly green plants. The bed they sat on was made of the same material and was really more of a cot than anything.

Keelhaul Key, deep in the jungle; the heard they distant crashing of waves on the shore and recognized its sticky heat, weighing down on them. They looked out of the shack across a clearing, surrounded on all sides by a wall of tropical plants. In front of them stood a siren, taller than Vivian with longer hair, wavy and emerald green. Her hat was the same style and shape, green and white striped; her cheeks were a light purple and her eyes were covered completely by a shock of hair that reminded them of a breeze rippling through a field of grass. She was smiling serenely.

“Cerin, love,” she said quietly, hopefully. “Do you remember me?”

“You’re Lillian.” Their tone was flat. Even so, the siren’s face split into an even bigger smile, and she approached. Suddenly her fingers were on their jaw, turning their head upward to look at her. They stiffened, intensely uncomfortable. But they couldn’t escape with her right there, not yet anyway.

“I missed you so much, darling,” she said softly, using her other hand to brush aside their hair. They froze, suddenly too terrified to move. She was looking deep into their eyes, and they had never felt so naked. This wasn’t right.

A shadow hand they hadn’t even meant to summon would have crashed down on top of her had she not noticed at the last second and dodged out of the way. They couldn’t move—though they wanted more than anything to flee, there was something that was preventing them from warping away, why?

“You’re not—who are you?”

Still petrified, they didn’t look at her as she spoke. They heard her get closer and squeezed their eyes shut, praying that she wouldn’t touch them again.

“Answer me,” she said, inches away. There was a dangerous urgency in her tone.

“I’m not who you’re looking for,” they whimpered, wincing at the pitiful noise that had left them. “I don’t—I know who you are, but—I don’t know why—“

“I want your name,” she growled, too close for comfort. Why couldn’t they move?

“Cerin.”

The other siren was silent for a long time. Cerin waited tensely, not even sure what they were expecting—they still couldn’t move.

 “She lied,” Lillian finally said. She'd partially turned away, her hands balled into fists. “She lied to me…she lied…THAT _BITCH!”_

The surrounding trees and plants suddenly shuddered. Cerin wrenched their eyes open as the roots of the trees quadrupled in length, snaking along the ground. Lillian ran her fingers through her bangs, sending them askew, and Cerin could see that her green eyes were ablaze and wet with tears.

“I’ll _KILL HER!”_ Lillian shrieked; the vegetation began to grow, taller and thicker, casting shadows over the two sirens. Cerin was struck with panic, but they could suddenly move again; they jumped off the bed and was about to slip into the shadows when Lillian fixed their gaze on them, her eyes boring holes into them and paralyzing them with fear.

“Tell. Me. Where. She Is.”

“W-Who?”

“Don’t play these games with me,” snarled the siren, looming over them; they cowered. “I _saw_ you with her miserable sisters, both of them. If you don’t tell me I won’t hesitate to kill them too.”

“You mean Beldam.” In spite of their current situation Cerin felt a twinge of relief; for several agonizing moments they had been afraid that Marilyn or Vivian had done something to earn this siren’s wrath. “I don’t know where she is.”

The angry light in Lillian’s eyes flickered and died; the trees and other undergrowth slowly shrank back to their original size. “You’re telling the truth,” she muttered, “you do the same thing with your hands that she did…god _damn_ it.”

They glanced down at their hands and saw they had been pulling slightly on the wrists of their gloves. They didn’t even know they did that.

Several awkward moments passed. Lillian turned to face them, tears coursing down her cheeks. “I’m…I’m sorry, Cerin…I never meant for anything to turn out like this…” She buried her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. At a loss for anything else to do, Cerin warily approached and put a hand on her shoulder, waiting until the crying subsided.

“I think…I owe you an explanation,” said Lillian at length. She took a shuddering breath in. “About fifty years ago, my wife, Cerin, suffered a horrible magical accident that…that split her soul in two. When the Shadow Queen was alive, Cerin was the first Shadow Siren to be created…she was her most trusted servant…when the Queen fell, we ended up traveling together, and I ended up falling in love with her. God, you look just like her…” She sniffled loudly. “We spent years running for our lives…all the civilians came out with torches and pitchforks, killing any siren they came across…I lost count of how many times we almost died…but eventually we came here, to this island, and we lived here in secret until Cerin…” The tears started up again, killing her sentence before it ended.

“I don’t know for sure why Cerin split,” said Lillian after a minute, trembling. “But I think it had to do with the Shadow Queen’s return not too long ago…as the seal on the Door reached the final years, a fraction of her power seeped through…it tried to call her back but she resisted, so it…it broke her…” She dragged her arm across her face, wiping her tears away. “And then the Queen returned in full force to find almost all of her servants dead…I remember being here, watching the sky turn dark, listening to her calling me home…but I couldn’t go back, not after finding the love that the Queen so despised. And then she was defeated, somehow…I hoped that Cerin would return, whole, but she never did…and shortly afterward a siren I recognized from the war but didn’t know very well appeared…she could tell I lost something important to me and told me that if I joined with her, she would help me find it…”

“Beldam,” said Cerin. Lillian nodded.

“I was such a fool to trust her, but I did…I did everything she asked…so _stupid,_ of course she lied to me! She doesn’t give a damn about anyone but herself!” She made eye contact with Cerin. “That’s where you come in. I think you’re…you’re some portion of the original Cerin’s soul, reincarnated. You retain her powers and some of her memories…but…” Crestfallen, she lowered her gaze to the ground. “You’re not her. You’re a different person…you only share her appearance and name.”

The silence stretched out for what felt like hours. Lillian seemed to be gathering herself, as she said, “Listen, I…I need to make up for all the pain I’ve caused, and I especially need to get revenge on that _filthy fucking hag_ of a Shadow Siren. I know you’ve no reason to trust me, but…oh, you look just like her, I couldn’t lie to you even if I wanted to.” Her voice broke and Cerin felt a pang of sympathetic sadness. She sounded so heartbroken and sincere, if she was lying she was a fantastic actress.

“We could share information,” Lillian suggested. “I know things you don’t, and vice versa.”

They weighed the risks; both sirens were united in their mutual hatred of Beldam. Having the upper hand on her was important, maybe even critical to stopping her. They nodded. “You start.”

“Okay, so…Beldam, unfortunately, wasn’t stupid enough to even allude to her master plan around me, but it’s something insidious. It involves incredibly powerful magic and the Crystal Stars.”

“What? When we met her she said she didn’t care at all about the Stars.”

“Who’s we?” Lillian blinked. “Oh, you mean Vivian. She was the youngest Siren until you came around…only a few months old when the Queen fell.” She frowned suddenly. “Are the three of them not working together?”

“No! They used to, but…Beldam’s the only one trying to revive the Queen now. Vivian and Marilyn are trying to stop it…we all are, we’re collecting the Stars before anyone else can. I thought Beldam didn’t want the Stars.”

“Sweetheart, every word that comes out of Beldam’s mouth is a damned lie.” Lillian’s voice grew icy cold. “The only reason she let you have any of the Stars is because she intends to pick you off later and take them all at once.”

Cerin’s eyes widened. “But…we have almost all of them!” They counted on their fingers; Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Garnet, Gold… “We have five,” they said, stunned.

“Make that six. There’s…something else I need to apologize for.” With a grim expression, Lillian grew still, tensing her fingers, focusing on something else. There was a rustling noise in the bushes behind her; someone stepped out into the sunlight. Cerin’s jaw dropped.

“Ms. Mowz?!”

The Squeek didn’t react; her eyes were half closed. Cerin recognized that look and whipped around to stare accusingly at Lillian.

“Yes, it’s exactly what it looks like,” admitted Lillian. “Shortly after Beldam recruited me this little thief came sniffing around here looking for treasure…I saw my chance and I took it…I’ve been impersonating her since.” She swept her bangs out of her face and looked the Squeek in the eye. In a flirtatious tone, she said, “Darling, why don’t you tell me everything you know about Hooktail Castle?”

“Hooktail Castle is a fortress near Petalburg built to house the dragon Hooktail, and her treasure, the Diamond Star,” said Ms. Mowz robotically, with no inflection. “Two years ago, Mario, Goombella, and Koops braved the castle and its traps to defeat Hooktail and retrieve the Diamond Star. After the Shadow Queen’s defeat the Diamond Star returned to Hooktail’s lair.”

“Good, good,” purred Lillian. “Now tell me about yourself.”

“My name is Marissa Penelope Mowz. My birth date is the fourteenth of October. I am twenty-three years old. I own a badge shop in Rogueport called the Lovely Howz of Badges, which I run with my cousin. I also travel the world to find rare badges and steal them to sell at my shop.”

“Excellent. That’s enough,” Lillian commanded, causing Ms. Mowz’s voice to die in her throat. She stood, slack-jawed, waiting for another order. Lillian shook her hair back into her face and turned back to Cerin apologetically.

“I learned everything I could about her so I could investigate what was happening on the mainland without arousing suspicion,” she said, sounding legitimately ashamed. “She won’t remember anything, but…she’s not been in control of herself for almost two years. I’m…I’m sorry.”

Cerin was too horrified to speak for several moments, but they finally stammered out, “Tell that to _her_.”

Guiltily, Lillian dropped her gaze. “I…you’re right.” She turned to the possessed Squeek, and her voice suddenly grew cold and hard, business-like. “You are free from my spell.” She waved her hand. Ms. Mowz’s eyes closed and she fell over, unconscious. Alarmed, Cerin approached her, but Lillian’s hand held them back.

“She’s fine. I mean, she’ll be fine. Her brain needs to recover and that’s best achieved through sleep.”

“You’ve been controlling her from here this whole time,” said Cerin quietly. “How?”

Lillian smiled bitterly. “I told you we have six Crystal Stars now.” She took off her hat and reached inside, pulling out a silvery Crystal Star.

“The Diamond Star?”

She nodded, putting her hat back on and looking at herself through the reflection of the artifact. “She actually went and collected the Star herself shortly after the Queen’s demise…why, I don’t know. Out of paranoia that something like this would happen, maybe…she kept it on her at all times, so when she came here, I…” She trailed off, letting Cerin fill in the blanks. “The Star increased my power so I could control her from all the way here...it takes all of my own concentration to make her move and speak so I didn’t have direct possession all the time…when I wasn’t directly using her she was on standby, and I even released her once in a while just so her mind didn’t crumble under the stress.” At Cerin’s expression she looked guilty again. “I realize that’s no excuse.”

“It’s not,” said Cerin numbly. “We have to…we have to get her back to the mainland.”

“We have to get to the mainland for many reasons,” said Lillian, suddenly scooping up the unconscious Squeek in her arms. “Those other sirens, Vivian and the yellow one, saw who they thought was your friend here knock you out and take you away. I’m sure they’re panicking…follow me.”

The siren began brushing her way through the trees and other plants; Cerin obeyed and followed her.

“Is it true?” asked Lillian as they traveled. “Are Sirens not being hunted anymore?”

“I think so,” said Cerin. “Vivian and I have been in public a lot and no one’s ever made attempts on our lives. But few people trust us.”

“That’s the best we can hope for, I suppose,” said Lillian darkly. “I first…I first saw you with the Yoshi in Rogueport when I was controlling your Squeek friend…I was shocked that there was a Siren out in the open and no one was trying to kill you. Then I saw you out on the beach with Vivian and that old Bob-omb guy…you were unconscious and they were panicking… I heard them call you ‘Cerin.’ I was convinced that you were her, but…” She growled. “Listen, Beldam doesn’t know who you are. She doesn’t know you’re a part of the old Cerin…my Cerin. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Did she know…her?” They stopped themself from saying “me,” thoroughly confused.

“Cerin was the highest ranking Siren in the Queen’s army, _everybody_ knew her! Beldam probably just assumed that she…died, like the rest.”

Lillian fell silent; Cerin could practically feel waves of unhappiness emanating from her. They felt sympathetic, but trapped in the middle simultaneously. There was so much to take in…

They emerged from the jungle in broad daylight. Lillian was tense, holding Ms. Mowz’s limp body closely to her. “You’re…you’re sure they won’t attack us?”

“Not if we’re quick.” Cerin took the lead, beckoning Lillian to follow them to the blue pipe. Fortunately for them, nobody was out and about at base camp. Perhaps they were all on ship. The shop and innkeeper were too busy with their establishments to notice the two sirens sneaking away. Cerin climbed into the pipe, indicating for Lillian to follow.

The pipe spat them out in Rogueport Sewers, and it dawned on them that they had never traversed the underground city by themself. The pipe behind them made a noise and Lillian clambered out clumsily, still carrying Ms. Mowz but doubling over and letting out a strained cry of pain.

“Sorry,” she gasped, “this feeling is just so…”

“Unbearable.” Cerin nodded. The demanding pulsating of the Shadow Queen’s power was slowly getting easier to ignore for them, but to Lillian, who must have only left Keelhaul a handful of times in the past millennium, it was going to come as a shock.

“I…I’m fine now,” said Lillian after a few moments, not really sounding like it. “Where are we going?”

Cerin thought for a moment, not having planned ahead this far. Their instinct was to go to Twilight, but they weren’t positive they knew the way through the sewers. “Rogueport,” they said, looking at Ms. Mowz.

“What? We can’t go there!” protested Lillian.

“Why? There’s nowhere else to go,” said Cerin, taken aback.

Lillian looked terrified. “Rogueport is where sirens go to die! They executed hundreds of us there, Cerin, you and I watched them do it!”

She froze, and backpedaled, “I mean, she and I—“

“Things have changed, Lillian,” said Cerin flatly. Their tone came off colder than they intended, but they were desperate to go back to somewhere that was familiar.

There was a long pause. “I’m sorry,” Lillian whispered.

“We have friends in Rogueport who can take care of Ms. Mowz,” explained Cerin, jumping down from the ledge. Lillian followed shortly. “She needs a safe place to recuperate, so that’s our first priority. Then we can worry about Beldam.”

Lillian said nothing, just obediently followed them as they traversed the winding pathways of the sewers. They’d been there enough to not be completely lost, but they weren’t at all confident in their ability to navigate and felt greatly relieved when they recognized the large room containing the pipe that led to the surface.

“Up here,” they said to Lillian, breaking the pervasive quiet. The other siren had been looking in amazement at the disrepair of the sewers and now made eye contact with them, biting her lip nervously.

“You’re sure it’s safe.”

“Positive.” They frowned suddenly as a thought occurred to them. “Uh, actually…”

Lillian suddenly looked ten times as concerned and Cerin quickly shook their head. “No, no, it’s not…the place is just filled with criminals. But no one’s going to do worse than try to mug you, so I’ve heard.”

Lillian glared suspiciously at the pipe. Recognizing that she wasn’t going to budge, Cerin reasoned, “Come on, the two of us can definitely handle whoever’s stupid enough to attack us.”

Their words seemed to strike a chord with Lillian, as she relented, though she looked no less apprehensive. Grateful that it had somehow worked, Cerin entered the pipe, Lillian presumably close behind.

They emerged in Rogueport, squinting, remembering how much they didn’t really like the sun. They felt Lillian right behind them. She whispered, “Doesn’t it look suspicious that I’m holding someone who looks like she’s dead?”

“That’s not at all uncommon here,” muttered Cerin. “We’ll only be out in the open for a minute, his place is right over there.” They couldn’t help but feed off of Lillian’s mounting anxiety and looked around at the surrounding people, none of whom seemed too concerned with the activities of either siren. They rushed to Frankly’s house, or what they hoped it was, and knocked loudly, praying Goombella would answer.

“Hang on, I’m coming, I’m coming,” said a voice that was distinctly not Goombella’s on the other side. Cerin winced, wondering if the absentminded professor would understand.

The old Goomba opened the door and stood, stunned, at the sight of the two sirens and the unconscious Ms. Mowz. There was an awkward pause.

“We could use your help,” said Cerin lamely.

They reintroduced themself (“Yes, of course I remember you!” Frankly had claimed) and explained the situation. The professor seemed to take it all in stride, which surprised both sirens. He agreed to carefully monitor Ms. Mowz until she awoke and added that he would get in touch with Goombella, who at the moment was reinvestigating the Door. “In the meantime, you should probably meet up with that girl of yours…what was her name? I saw her and someone like her earlier, and the two of them looked absolutely sick with worry.”

Vivian was nearby. With overwhelming relief Cerin thanked the professor profusely and led Lillian away in a hurry. They headed for Rogueport Square, which was busy as usual. Cerin eyed the weird structure in the center, as usual. They started when Lillian’s hand suddenly landed on their shoulder and squeezed it hard.

“Cerin. That’s a gallows.” Though she spoke just above a whisper, her tone was urgent and deadly serious.

“Yeah. What about it?” asked Cerin innocently.

“You don’t know what—“ Lillian cut herself off with an exasperated groan. “Cerin, they hang people from that rope by their necks. It _kills_ them. I—I watched Sirens die by hanging exactly like that!”

It took a moment for Lillian’s words to sink in, and then they were too stunned to reply.

“Cerin, we’re gonna _die_ here!” Lillian hissed, borderline hysterical but still very quiet. “Why don’t you realize this? Was this—this was all a trap, wasn’t it?!”

“What!?” Cerin whirled around, trying to look the elder siren in the eye. “We’re not gonna die, I’ve never seen anyone even around that thing, much less using it—“

“CERIN!”

Both sirens jumped, but when Cerin turned around they nearly shed tears of joy. Vivian and Marilyn were making their way across the square. Both looked…infuriated. Cerin realized what was happening too late.

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck where Lillian had been standing a fraction of a second before. With a roar, Lillian held out both her hands, palms upturned, then clenched them into a fist. As she did so two Piranha Plants rose out of the dirt with a rumble.

“Cerin, get away from her!” spat Vivian, embers dancing along her fingertips. Shocked passersby were backing themselves against the buildings, while others gathered around, eyes wild with excitement.

“Vivian!” cried Cerin as loudly as they could manage. “Stop!”

Their cry went unheeded. Flames suddenly enveloped one of Lillian’s Piranha Plants, burning it to a crisp. With a tremendously loud bang, another bolt of lightning struck, this time hitting its target. The other Piranha Plant was instantly vaporized. Lillian’s eyes were blown with fury and terror as the other Sirens approached. Teeth gritted, Vivian and Marilyn snapped their fingers at the same time. The resulting explosion of power made the ground shudder and dust fly into the air.

The dust settled. Lillian, having braced herself preparing for the impact that never came, gaped at the black barrier formed in front of her. The shadow hands, having formed an X shape that absorbed the blow, shuddered and melted away. Cerin, trembling, made eye contact with Lillian and barked, “Frankly’s, now!”

Needing no further invitation, Lillian slipped into the shadows beneath her and was gone.

Vivian and Marilyn were running toward them, both with unreadable expressions.

“Cerin, what the—do you have _any_ idea—“ Vivian spluttered as she approached.

“She’s a friend,” defended Cerin.

_“She tried to kill Marilyn!”_

“It was a misunderstanding!”

 _“CERIN!”_ Flames burst from Vivian’s hands and cloaked her fists. Cerin backed away, completely panicked but still determined to set things right.

Though Marilyn was scowling, she reached out and patted Vivian’s shoulder. The fire dissipated from the younger siren’s fists. She took in a shaky breath.

“Tell me what happened. Now.” Her voice had the same authoritative tone from many days before. Now that it was directed at Cerin themself, it was enough to make tears spring to their eyes, but they did their best to fight them back.

“Beldam manipulated her and she wants revenge.”

“Don’t we all,” growled Vivian. “Why do you trust her? If she’s working for Beldam this could be part of her plan!”

“You worked for Beldam once and I trust you!”

“I—That’s—“

“Different? How?” Though they still wanted more than anything to run away and hide, they stood their ground, watching Vivian flounder.

“I wasn’t literally just working for Beldam an hour ago!” Vivian spat out finally. “How could you possibly trust her?!”

“Ooh, family drama?” mused a Doogan from the sidelines.

 _“You stay out of this!”_ both sirens snapped simultaneously. Marilyn made eye contact with the man and cracked her knuckles loudly. The color drained from his face and he stepped away.

“She told me she was only working for Beldam because she promised her something she couldn’t give,” protested Cerin. “She knows more about what Beldam’s planning than we do, if we could just—“

“What, tell her everything we know and give Beldam the upper hand? While we’re at it let’s just hand her all the Crystal Stars and hang ourselves!” yelled Vivian, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the gallows behind her.

“Why aren’t you listening to me?!” exploded Cerin. They felt the hands erupt from beneath them, stretching to three times their own height and moving to their either side. Vivian stepped back almost imperceptibly. “I trust her, why isn’t that good enough for you?!” Tears burned at the corners of their eyes. “Am I too young to know any better? Too stupid, too naive? What is it?! Tell me!”

The next few moments seemed to last forever. They glared daggers at Vivian, feeling the tears course down their cheeks and hating themself for it. Vivian’s snarl of anger gave way to a look of dismay. Marilyn uncrossed her arms, looking concerned.

A choked sob burst unbidden from Cerin, and they turned and fled into the shadows.

-

They emerged at Frankly’s, rising out of the shadows under his table and nearly flipping it over. Lillian was seated on one of the stairs, apparently talking with the professor. Her entire expression changed when she heard Cerin sniff, and she rushed to them as they crawled out from under the table.

“Cerin, what happened? Are you hurt?”

The smaller siren could do nothing but sob, and immediately Lillian swept them into her arms. “Oh, sweetheart,” she whispered, stroking Cerin’s back lightly. “Hush…it’s okay. You’re okay.” She began humming softly, a slow but relaxing tune that Cerin felt like they almost recognized. Their crying subsided in only a few minutes.

Frankly looked back and forth between the two sirens. It was probably not physically possible to look more uncomfortable than he did. He opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it.

There was a knock at the door; Cerin stiffened. “That’s them,” they mumbled into Lillian’s shoulder.

“Should we answer?” asked Lillian.

“It could be Goombella,” Frankly suggested.

“No, it’s them,” said Cerin, reluctantly pulling away from Lillian and wiping their eyes on the back of their glove. “I have to answer…”

“I’m right here with you,” said Lillian, gently but with determination Cerin wished they had. They took a deep breath and opened the door, not at all surprised to find Vivian standing there, Marilyn right behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Er, hello,” Frankly called from the back of the room.

“Hello, Professor,” said Vivian quietly. She entered the room and turned to the other siren. “You’re Lillian, right?”

“And you’re Vivian. I remember you.” Though not warm, Lillian’s tone wasn’t exactly unfriendly either.

“You…you do?” asked Vivian with a tinge of what sounded like dismay evident in her voice. Marilyn pulled the door shut behind her, making Vivian pick her head up a little, eager for a change of subject. “Do you, uh, remember my sister Marilyn too?”

“Vaguely. She wasn’t the baby of the family like you were, though.” She made eye contact with the lightning siren and winced, probably reacting to all her cuts. “Oh, god, I…really did a number on you. I’m so sorry.”

Reluctantly, Vivian signed the message to Marilyn, who gave a short, curt reply. Vivian translated, “She says it’s fine.”

The tension in the room was palpable. Vivian took a deep breath in and out. “Cerin, I’m sorry. I…I’m sorry to both of you.”

Lillian waved her off before she could continue. “Save your breath, darling. I have much more to be apologizing for. You were…right to be distrustful.” She glanced up, meeting Frankly’s eyes. “Professor, you wouldn’t mind if we left you in peace, would you?”

“Er.” Frankly seemed to be caught entirely off guard. “Do what you wish?”

Catching on, Vivian said, “When Goombella comes back, can you do us a favor and fill her in? We’ll be in Twilight Town.”

She signed something rapidly to Marilyn, who nodded and sank into the shadows.  Turning back to Lillian, she said, “Follow me.”


	8. Entering the Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again testing your willing suspension of disbelief  
> shit's getting weird y'all, even for mario fanfic. i hope it's not too weird.  
> also i'm gonna revise the tags cause they're pretty sparse and i don't have a damn clue how to tag things but yeah. enjoy

Marilyn had been waiting for them at their house in Twilight Town. The four sirens each told their stories; Lillian tearfully explained the fate of the first Cerin and admitted to controlling Ms. Mowz. Vivian, like Cerin, had been horrified at her treatment of the Squeek thief, but Lillian swore up and down that Ms. Mowz would make a full recovery and that she’d do whatever she could to make up for it. Apparently satisfied by this assertion, Vivian explained how she found Cerin and their brief meeting with Beldam.

Lillian’s face was serious. “I don’t know what exactly she’s doing, but she’s hardly ever in the same place for more than a few hours. Constantly on the run…it doesn’t bode well.”

Vivian translated for Marilyn, who, looking thoughtful, signed something back. Vivian nodded grimly. “We might have to start preparing for the worst case scenario. We can reasonably assume that if she gets all the Stars she’ll break the seal on the Door, right?”

“What else would she do with them?” asked Cerin.

Lillian and Vivian exchanged a solemn glance. “The Stars aren’t just vessels that can break magical seals,” said Lillian. “They wield unimaginable power. Even that guy you mentioned, Mario or whoever, used them to increase his own strength. He may have given them up to weaken the Queen and then gave them back to the land, but still. That much power in the wrong hands…Beldam might not even bother resurrecting the Queen if she just wants absolute control to herself. But we don’t know what she wants for sure, maybe she _does_ plan on reviving the Queen again.”

“She told us that she was going to revive the Queen,” Cerin piped up.

“She could have been lying to throw you off,” said Lillian.

“Or she could have been telling the truth because she knows we know she lies a lot.”

Lillian threw her hands in the air with a growl. “It’s all mind games with her, it’s exhausting! How did the two of you,” she indicated Vivian and Marilyn, “stand living with her for a thousand years?”

Vivian suddenly got very quiet. “It wasn’t fun,” she said flatly.

Lillian seemed to realize she’d hit a nerve and backed off, looking guilty. Trying to break the sudden tension, Cerin said, “We need a plan. Why don’t we gather everyone up and wait by the Door, and see if Beldam follows?”

“Yeah, let’s just hand her all the Stars at once while we’re at it,” sniffed Lillian dismissively.

Cerin bristled. “There’s only one of her, and there’s…” They counted on their fingers. “Eight of us including you and Marilyn. Stars or not, she’s outnumbered pretty badly, and even then we have almost all of them.”

“Cerin’s right,” said Vivian. “It’s not just us four against her. All our friends from our last adventure are on our side too. Almost all of them, I mean…I don’t know about you, but I like those odds.”

Lillian bit her lip, trying to think of another defense. “Fine, we outnumber her. But gathering all the Stars in one place and leading her straight to us just…sounds like a horrible idea. She’s bound to have something up her sleeve.”

“Waiting around will just make it easier for her to pick us off one by one,” insisted Cerin. “Don’t you think we should have as much backup as possible?”

“At the risk of handing her the Stars on a silver platter and giving her the ability to destroy us all? I’m not convinced.”

Vivian was translating the argument for Marilyn. The hefty siren grunted and responded; Vivian said, “Marilyn says she’s tired of waiting for Beldam to always make the first move. Even if the worst comes to worst, having eight of us there will be way better than just us four.”

Lillian sighed, defeated. “Fine. Don’t blame me when everything inevitably goes to hell.”

“Glad we have your vote of confidence,” said Vivian dryly. “Let’s see if we can rally everyone and head down to the Door now. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

“Now? Really?” Cerin was struck with a thrill of excitement and terror.

Vivian rose from her seat, Marilyn following immediately. “Beldam will know something’s up soon, and when she finds out that we’re preparing for her…when she sees that someone she thought was an ally turned on her...”

“There will be hell to pay,” agreed Lillian grimly, standing up as well. “Let’s go.”

To their surprise, when they warped to Rogueport, there was a crowd outside Frankly’s house, led by Goombella. When Cerin looked closer they realized it must have been the party from when Mario had saved the world, even including someone they’d never seen whom they assumed was the often talked about Madam Flurrie.

“Quick enough for you?” asked Goombella, her face lit up. Everyone seemed…happy, despite the situation.

“Vivian, dear, it’s been too long,” said presumably-Flurrie, a purple, cloud-looking person with a deep and powerful voice.

“Come on, dudes, we don’t got any time to waste!” yelled Tank, pounding his fist into his other hand. “Frankly told us stuff is going down _now_ , we better not miss anything!”

A hand touched Cerin’s shoulder. “Who are these people?” whispered Lillian quietly.

“Vivian’s friends,” said Cerin. “We’re in good hands.”

The group of nine traveled down to the Thousand-Year Door, laughing and chatting and joking the whole time. Cerin kept glancing back to look at Vivian, and every time they did so she was smiling. Despite the danger of the situation, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Was this what it was like to adventure with Mario? Cerin felt a twinge of jealousy but pushed it away; more important things were at stake.

The group quieted as they entered the room with the Door; Cerin assumed it was because it echoed too much for their comfort and not because the throb in the cores of each of the sirens became horribly, painfully powerful. They cringed and doubled over with a hiss of pain, and Lillian nearby did the same. Marilyn and Vivian stayed standing, but they both had concerned, vaguely nauseous looks on their faces.

“Are you guys okay?” asked Koops.

“Fine,” said Vivian in a strained tone. “This is just…not good.”

Lillian stared at the Door and at the pedestal before it. “I haven’t seen this room in a millennium,” she whispered, only just loudly enough for Cerin to hear. “It’s…it’s almost exactly the same as when Cerin and I left.” She winced as a particularly strong pulse struck her, and she clutched at her stomach.

“Where is she?” Tank said loudly, his voice echoing. “Yo, I thought we were gonna throw down with Beldam!”

“Relax, Tank! Why are you in such a hurry to get in a fight?” retorted Goombella.

“Man, are you telling me you don’t just wanna punch her in the face?”

“I’d love to, if I had hands!”

As the older party members defused the situation, Lillian was still staring around the room and at the Door. “Over there,” she whispered, pointing at a small area on the opposite side. It was a fenced off platform containing nothing but a small hole in the wall. “That’s…that’s where the Queen would throw her prisoners…it was a torture chamber, floors upon floors upon floors filled with hostile monsters. If by some miracle someone made it to the end, it was guarded by one of her pet dragons, the strongest one. No one was ever able to defeat it…I don’t even want to think about how many people died in there.”

Her words sent a shiver down Cerin’s spine. They tore themself away at Vivian’s voice, suddenly ringing out in the large chamber. “Everyone, take out the Crystal Stars!”

The room suddenly went deathly quiet as they heeded her instructions. Lillian had the Diamond Star, Goombella the Emerald, Tank both the Gold and Garnet Stars, Vivian the Ruby, and Bobbery the Sapphire. The others watched with bated breath as the Stars seemed to react with each other, forming a circle above their heads with one conspicuous gap.

A noise that almost sounded like distant thunder shook the room; the Stars rippled, sending a pulse of their own power with a sound like shattered glass. Then the angry and steady throbbing of the evil behind the Door returned even stronger; Cerin yelped and buckled, tears springing to their eyes.

“What’s happening to you guys?” said someone, their voice distant. Maybe it was Koops. Cerin tried to answer but could only choke out a pained moan.

“This is terrible,” Lillian gasped weakly. She, too, was doubled over; Cerin felt marginally better that it was affecting the other sirens just as strongly.

“Enough of this!”

Cerin’s heart stopped for a moment. They recognized that voice. They managed to pick their head up just enough to look in the center of the room.

“Beldam!” snapped someone, probably Tank. The small siren fixed her opponents with an icy glare, sizing them all up.

“You would do well to learn to hold your tongue, child,” hissed Beldam. She gritted her teeth as another wave came and went, somehow still standing. But she looked terrible; her gloves were filthy, her lavender hair matted and tangled, and as Cerin kept watching, they noticed her fingers would suddenly twitch, jerkily, as if she had no control over them.

“All of you against me,” she growled, her voice vaguely hoarse. “But you’ve so nicely brought me the Crystal Stars. If you would kindly hand them over, perhaps I’ll spare all your lives.”

“Not a chance, you witch!” spat Goombella. She stepped forward and the others, unhindered by the aggravated pounding of the Queen behind the door, followed.

“Don’t insult me, kid, we all know you mean ‘bitch.’ Just say it.” Beldam drew herself up to her (unimpressive) full height. “If it’s a fight you want, then you’re going to get one!”

With an infuriated war cry, Tank came flying at the siren, but she held up her hands and a ferocious blast of freezing air met him halfway, strong enough to knock him to the floor, where he lay shivering. In moments the others were on top of her, but they too were blasted away by another forceful gust of icy wind, sending them toppling to the floor as well. Cerin weakly tried to summon the hands but another pulse from the Door made their powers fizzle out. How was Beldam able to stand it?

“Get out of my way!” snarled Beldam, approaching the ring of Crystal Stars floating above. Without even looking behind her she waved her hand and Koops’s shell, which a second ago had been hurtling at her at full speed, was now encased in a solid block of ice. With one hand she summoned the Crystal Star she bore, releasing it into the circle, and with the other she snapped her fingers, sending a barrage of ice shards raining down among Goombella, Tank, and Bobbery, who ducked for cover.

“Come on, get up, get up,” Lillian was groaning to herself, a tinge of panic in her voice. Another wave rolled in and she cried out in pain, dropping onto her stomach. The deep chill of fear set in as Cerin looked across the room to Marilyn and Vivian, both similarly incapacitated. Beldam was too powerful for the others to fight alone…

With a roar of anger, Marilyn clapped her hands and a bolt of lightning pierced the air, striking Beldam directly. The bigger siren suddenly slumped to the ground; Beldam, though slightly singed, was still standing. The look on her face was unreadable, somewhere between a manic grin that she had survived and a legitimately pained expression as she said, “Marilyn, my lovely, you too?”

She whirled around, sending more freezing air at the gathered party behind her, sending them tumbling away once more. “No more games!” she shrieked. “The Stars are mine!”

At her words the Crystal Stars froze in the air; another sound like the shattering of glass rang throughout the room. The Door groaned, but whatever noises happened next Cerin couldn’t hear over their own agonized screaming as the pain in their core reached a severity unbearable.

Then it was gone.

Trembling weakly, they opened their eyes and stood up. Beldam, the Stars, and Tank and Goombella were gone. The Door was wide open, leading into what might as well have been a pitch black void. There was movement behind them; they turned and saw Flurrie helping Lillian to stand up. Across the room Marilyn was leaning slightly on Bobbery as he took her to where Vivian was crouched, using a flame in her palm to melt the block of ice Koops was still trapped in.

“Beldam took the Stars,” said Flurrie to Cerin and Lillian. “Goombella and Tank gave chase.”

“We have to go after them,” said Lillian sharply. She turned her right palm to face the ceiling and curled her fingers inward, lifting her hand in the air; a Piranha Plant burst out of the stone floor in front of her, shaking dust and crumbling rock from its head. Silently, Lillian pointed to the block of ice, and the Piranha Plant launched a fireball from its mouth. Vivian ducked as the fireball collided with the ice, shattering and melting it simultaneously, leaving Koops’s shell sitting in a puddle on the floor. The Koopa popped out, soaking wet and looking completely confused.

“Let’s go!” said Lillian, hurrying toward the Door, her plant trailing her. Cerin followed, the rest of the party not far behind. The Door’s opening stretched out before them like a yawning chasm, and they shivered. A hand rested gently on their shoulder; Vivian’s. Her warmth eased their nerves slightly, and they felt a flare of grim determination. Beldam was not going to get away with this.

They took a deep breath. Vivian on their left side, Lillian on their right, they stepped into the abyss.

-

The Palace of Shadow was elegantly decorated, they could say that much. It was very similar to how Vivian had described it earlier; long, winding hallways, riddled with traps and obstacles. Red carpets and wallpapers with fancy golden trimmings. At one point there was an enormous bridge crossing an even bigger lake of gorgeous blue water hundreds of feet below. The only light sources were candles along the walls, Vivian’s fire, and the occasional fireball Lillian’s Piranha Plant would spit out. But other than the seven intruders, the entire palace seemed empty, completely devoid of all life. The silence was deafening.

“I would have thought there would be…something here,” said Bobbery, finally shattering the overwhelming quiet.

“Maybe Goombella and Tank took care of all the enemies?” suggested Vivian.

“Perhaps, but…” Flurrie trailed off. “This place feels so desolate and lifeless. I would go as far to say it feels worse than when we were here the first time.”

Bobbery murmured agreement. Vivian tensed beside Cerin, whose worry increased exponentially. They tried to catch Lillian’s eye, but the elder siren was staring straight ahead, emotionless. Marilyn, too, was similarly stoic. Cerin got the feeling that everyone knew something they didn’t and was preparing themselves for it emotionally. Unthinkingly they drew closer to Vivian.

Another agonizing period of extended silence passed, and the group finally entered a room even larger than the one containing the Door. Cerin gaped, feeling familiarity burn in their mind. This room was easily the most reminiscent of an ancient city; Cerin wouldn’t have at all been surprised if it was the remnants of the very city the Shadow Queen was said to have destroyed. The red carpet had given way to blue-gray, smooth pavement. There was a moat dividing the room in half, surrounding a tall tower. A short bridge connected either side of the land separated by the moat, and on the other side of the room there appeared to be even more rooms like the ones the group had just traversed. The air was stale and dead.

“Guys!” someone shouted. Goombella and Tank came rushing over from the other side of the bridge, both looking completely unharmed other than the very minor injuries they’d sustained from Beldam’s ice shards.

“As soon as she stepped in the Door she warped away,” Tank spat, cracking his knuckles. “She could be anywhere by now!”

“Did you guys see any enemies?” asked Goombella. “Or, like, any sign of life at all?”

A cold feeling came over Cerin as the rest shook their heads. “We assumed you and Tank had taken care of them all,” said Flurrie.

Goombella’s face fell. “No, we didn’t see anything at all. The first time we came through here we were ambushed by the Queen’s minions constantly…what happened?”

“Beldam is behind it,” said Lillian suddenly with such conviction everyone turned to look at her. “We can’t waste any more time, come on!”

“Where are we going?” demanded Tank, nevertheless falling in with the group as Lillian took the lead.

“The throne room, where else?”

Cerin heard Vivian behind them inhale sharply. Her reaction immediately set them on edge, even more so than they had been. The others must have felt the same way, as nobody spoke, silently following the siren across the courtyard and down a long flight of stairs, followed by a long hallway. Cerin shivered, rubbing their arms. They had thought their goosebumps had been because they were scared, but now they could tell there was a definite chill coming from the end of the hall. The thought made dread flow through their veins.

A large door was the only thing separating the group from the throne room. Lillian halted her party, staring at the doors with a grim expression. “Okay. Our goal here is to take the Stars away from her. I can’t imagine how much more powerful she is with all seven in her possession. Don’t let her escape, either. The Queen’s tomb is just a flight of stairs away…if she revives the Shadow Queen we’re all as good as dead.” She turned back to the group, sizing them up. “Anything anyone would care to share? Speak now.”

She spoke with such a commanding tone of voice, it felt as if she had done this before…if Cerin thought really hard about it they could easily imagine her as the leader of her own group of Shadow Sirens. Was that their own imagination…or a memory from the old Cerin?

“Marilyn says that whatever you do, don’t look into her eyes,” said Vivian.

“What? Why not?” demanded Tank.

“Would you like to find out?” Lillian lifted the brim of her hat and held her hand up to her face, as if about to sweep her bangs to the side. Her bluff worked; Tank’s eyes widened and he took a step back, hastily muttering, “I gotcha.”

“It has been an honor fighting with you all,” said Bobbery, receiving a chorus of agreement in response.

Lillian threw open the doors with a bang. The party rushed in, racing toward the throne. Beldam sat, unconcerned, almost casually. Cerin was able to get a good look at her for the first time and winced. Her nose was crooked from where Vivian had broken it, her skin was covered in dirt and what looked like scars and other lacerations. Though her eyes were hidden, they could feel her gaze roaming around the room.

“How lovely for you all to join me,” she sneered. “Three miserable traitors, unfit to call themselves Shadow Sirens. Two geriatrics whose primes were thirty years ago. All babysitting a horde of mere children. This is almost too easy. That said, I truly only have qualms with you two.” She pointed at Lillian and Vivian.

“Don’t you _dare_ lecture me about being traitorous,” snapped Lillian. “You manipulated me and now you’re shocked I turned my back on you?”

“We had a deal, Lillian,” said Beldam flippantly. “We had a deal, and you backed out.”

“You never intended to keep your half of your bargain!” yelled the plant Siren. Her anger caused the Piranha Plant tailing her to gnash its teeth.

An ugly smile wormed its way onto Beldam’s face. “Adorable.” She snapped her fingers and the Piranha Plant suddenly stiffened; ice was shooting up its stem. In moments the entire thing was frozen over, a disturbingly realistic ice sculpture. Beldam flicked her wrist and the plant shattered into pieces.

“And as for you, _Vivian,”_ said Beldam with utter disgust. “This is all your doing. I knew you would somehow brainwash the little brat to be on your side, but never did I imagine you would drag Marilyn into it too. And now I’ll be forced to hurt her…because of _you.”_

Vivian was quaking but trying not to show it. “L-Leave Marilyn out of this,” she stammered. “If she didn’t want to be here, she wouldn’t be!”

“Silence, you insufferable waste of oxygen!” The temperature in the room dropped what felt like ten degrees; Cerin could suddenly see their breath, forming short-lived clouds in the air.

“Don’t talk to her like that!” snapped Goombella suddenly.

“That’s no way to talk to a lady,” agreed Bobbery.

“’Lady?’ You honestly believe—“ Beldam suddenly cut herself off, cackling hysterically. The sound filled the room in a familiar way. “Vivian, I’m impressed! Your ability to base your entire life on endless lies and deceit is nothing short of admirable!”

A wave of heat washed over Cerin from behind. They looked over their shoulder to see Vivian smoldering, the brim of her hat yanked down over her face. She was experiencing full-body tremors now. Marilyn, concerned, patted her sister’s back. Vivian made a strangled noise that sounded like both a growl and a sob.

Whatever Beldam had meant by the insult had cut the fire siren to the bone. The dark mist swirled around Cerin’s tail; Vivian’s hurt and anger fueled Cerin’s own emotions and they began to wonder what Beldam’s face would look like after she’d had her nose broken again.

“Would you shut up and fight us already?!” barked Tank. “Every word you say makes me want to punch you that much more!”

A wicked grin crept across Beldam’s face. “If you insist.”

She leaped off the throne, hands outstretched. The entire floor rumbled and shook with her movement and didn’t stop. Those with legs braced themselves, but Tank fell over anyway.

“What’s happening?” yelled Cerin over the loud quaking of the ground. Nobody answered until a piercing shriek from Goombella made their heart leap into their throat.

_“RUN!!”_

Cerin jerked their head up to look at Beldam. All seven Crystal Stars were floating above her, rotating slowly. The siren had a maniacal look on her face; Cerin’s heart skipped a beat when they realized that though Beldam’s face was swathed in shadow, they could see her eyes. They were icy blue and glinting dangerously; as they watched, her irises suddenly drained away of all color, turning solid white.

Vivian screamed. They snapped out of it, in terror realizing what was happening. The ground in front of them split apart; with a horrendous groaning noise, a hand reached up from the crevice. The thing crawled out, carrying with it a disgusting stench of rotting flesh, some of its bones visible through its torn skin and rent muscle.

_“ZOMBIES!”_ bellowed Tank, real fear in his voice that Cerin had never heard before. The reanimated corpse in front of them drew itself up to its full height, which was not very tall, about as tall as Cerin. Despite its diminutive height, the ghastly, almost pained moan that sounded as if it was forcibly ripped from what remained of its vocal cords was more than enough to send Cerin’s heart hammering in their chest. It was clad in long robes that at one point may had been white. As it moved it looked as if it were dripping some dark substance that disappeared when it touched the carpet.

Robes that leaked shadow.

“How do you like that?!” cackled Beldam above the screams of fear that were rising from her victims. “I told you you’d get a fight!” Her hands were twitching as she held her palms open and clenched her fists. More cracks in the ground began appearing. The corpse shambled forward and Cerin came to the slow realization that this thing didn’t seem all that powerful. It was embarrassingly slow, even. They summoned a hand that immediately sucker punched the thing so hard its head popped off and rolled away; the rest of the body immediately collapsed. The sight was gruesome but Cerin couldn’t help but feel a flare of satisfaction. The body seemed to melt back into the shadows, leaving no trace.

Now out of another crack emerged what looked like a bat creature; somehow, between the holes in its wings and their slow, labored beating, it was still able to fly. More dribbling darkness rolled off its wings with its movement. It was growling quietly, but Cerin felt substantially less intimidated, and swatted the thing out of the air, sending it careening into another corpse that was crawling out of the rift. Now in the swing of things, they lashed out at the advancing monsters, sweeping their shadow hands around in a circle and causing each monster to crumble at the knees. The undead certainly couldn’t take a solid hit, but there didn’t seem to be an end to the horde. When they took out one, two more took its place in a matter of seconds. They chanced a brief glance behind them, with relief seeing Vivian and Marilyn back to back, their respective elements dancing on their fingers. Through the writhing masses of shuffling undead, they could catch glimpses of the non-sirens, none of whom seemed particularly endangered. And by herself on the opposite side of the room was Lillian, who’d sprouted what looked like an entire forest around her—tangles of vines snatched the corpses’ feet from under them (if they had them) and slammed them into the floor, Piranha Plants of various colors launched fiery and icy projectiles at the bat creatures and tore chunks out of anything they could fit their jaws around. They were all holding their own, but for how long?

Attack the source, not the spells. They felt like they’d heard such advice before…they slipped quietly into the shadows as another corpse reached for them.

They appeared a foot behind Beldam, readying their powers. At the sound of their reemergence the ice siren turned around to see them, the pair of shadow hands stretching nine, ten feet tall.

The look on her face was priceless, thought Cerin as they brought them down on top of her with enough force to create their own hairline cracks in the ground.

Gasping, severely bruised, Beldam scrambled upright. “Cerin,” she gasped, white eyes wide with confusion. “You’re Cerin—how--?”

She narrowly dodged an oncoming punch. Cerin’s anger was boiling; the mist at the ground suddenly solidified into what looked like rippling, black flames.

“I thought you were dead!” shrieked Beldam, losing her temper and sending a blast of freezing air at the younger siren. The hands formed the protective barrier in front of them, dispelling the forceful wind to either side and weakening it to a simple cool breeze.

“You were wrong.” Their tone was colder than Beldam’s powers.

“How did you—“

 “I’m not going to answer any of your questions. Surrender, or I’ll…I’ll…” The threat died before they could speak it. Beldam’s face twitched, soon splitting into an ugly smile.

“I can’t believe it. You really are stuck in the body of a child!” Beldam cackled hysterically, doubling over but at the same time launching a barrage of small ice shards that Cerin was almost too late to deflect with the shadow hands. “I remember when you were the most feared Siren in the Queen’s arsenal. I remember when you were respected…how the mighty fall, huh?”

“Shut up!” Cerin yelled, face burning. Beldam’s insults seemed to be directed more at the past Cerin than at the current one, but it still stung. “I’m—I may appear to be a child, but I’m still,” they hoped this was the case, “your superior.”

Beldam laughed, a harsh, barking sound. “Yeah, you wish. You haven’t been in charge of anyone for a thousand years, you senile ingrate! I answer to no one, least of all a once-powerful coward like you!”

“Yeah, well, you have to answer to the Queen,” Cerin retorted.

“The Queen?” Beldam smiled, but it was more like she was baring her teeth. “I worked tirelessly for a thousand years to resurrect her. I handed her the entire world on a platter, and she didn’t last an _hour_ against Mario and his insipid little friends! I’m not wasting my time with her again unless I must, and I won’t have to if I can eliminate all you so-called heroes who stand in my way.” With a nasty sneer she turned on Cerin. A cold wind blew, and an armada of several-inch long icicles developed with it, hanging in the air in front of her.

Beldam suddenly let out an agonized scream as her body caught fire; the floating icicles fell to the ground with a crash, breaking into thousands of pieces. Seizing the chance, Cerin brought the hands down upon the ice siren again. They glanced to Vivian nearby, her fingers smoking lightly.

“Vivian! The Stars!”

Understanding immediately, the fire siren lunged for the Crystal Stars that danced above Beldam’s head. Her fingers brushed against the Ruby Star and immediately it began to glow. The others likewise shone as if a fire had been lit inside each one of them, reacting to their new owner.

“It was that easy?” mused Vivian, watching as the Stars spun in a wide circle above her.

“You damned fool!” Beldam cried from where she lay on the ground. She got up, but her movements were jerky and pained. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“I know exactly what I’m doing, _Sis.”_ Vivian’s tone was light until the final word, which dripped with venom.

“Idiot! I need the Stars to control the horde! Without my guidance they’ll rip apart everyone in this room!”

“Without your guidance,” muttered Vivian. She looked across the room to the others, who were beginning to get the hang of beating the undead down. There were no longer so severely outnumbered. “Beldam, the one thing you’ve taught me over this past millennium is that absolutely _everyone_ is better off without your guidance.”

“You’re making a mistake,” wheezed Beldam. “Now that I’ve broken the seal between the living and the dead, it can never be closed unless I am the one to do it! If you kill me, you’ll unleash them all upon the entire world!”

“I—I’m not going to kill you!” Vivian sounded horrified at the suggestion.

“Give me the Stars,” demanded Beldam. “I’ve been practicing with this magic nonstop for two years. Unless you can learn that much necromantic knowledge in the next five minutes, we’ll all die here!”

Vivian’s disgust as she glanced down at her sister vanished when her words sunk in. She and Cerin exchanged a glance. There was something in the elder siren’s tone, some barely concealed note of hysteria, that made them disinclined to think she was lying. But to return the Stars to her was unthinkable.

“No,” said Vivian quietly. Cerin couldn’t hear her, her voice drowned out by the din of battle on the opposite side of the room, but they read her lips. Things seemed to quiet as she whispered, “There has to be another way.”

“There is no other way,” snapped Beldam, lunging for Vivian but thinking better of it when the fire siren raised her hand, fingers ready to snap and set her ablaze again. “Every moment you waste, more undead enter through the rift! Are you going to give me the Stars or should I just snap my own neck and get it over with?!”

To accentuate her point, the great chasms in the floor seemed to grow wider and yet more shambling corpses staggered out, reaching mindlessly for the living. They were outnumbered again; Lillian and Marilyn had grouped up with the non-sirens but the tide of battle was turning against them all, and quickly. Vivian locked eyes with Cerin, and they nodded, at a loss for anything else to do.

“I’ll…I’ll give you the Stars,” said Vivian with obvious reluctance. She held out one hand and the Ruby Star settled into it as if it were made for her. “But as soon as you close the portal we’re all coming after you.”

“Knew I could count on you,” said Beldam darkly. Vivian froze, and in the same instant Beldam snatched the Star out of her hands. The others followed, encircling Beldam like vultures, all glowing with a white light. With a grunt of effort and then a strangled yell of what may have been pain, Beldam slowly raised both hands and clenched her fists. The cracks in the ground began to shrink and the undead crumbled into dust and faded into the darkness.

Then Cerin took a solid hit to the temple and everything went black.


	9. Resurrection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa who could have seen this coming  
> yeah so having two characters with exactly the same name is kind of a challenge, i hope it's clear who i'm referring to. feedback is appreciated as always

The world swam into view amidst a sound of what they thought could have been wind or rushing water. Their head pounded so hard they immediately buried it in their hands and gave a pained groan. It felt as if someone was taking a saw to their temples. They felt a pair of warm hands on their shoulders and immediately knew it was Vivian.

“Oh, god, Cerin, are you okay?” said Vivian, scooping them into a hug. The movement jostled their head and they groaned again.

“Head hurts…what happened?” they mumbled through a mouthful of Vivian’s hair. Over her shoulder they could see the others, none looking very well off. All were nursing bruises and other shallow wounds, but their eyes still shone with determination.

“Beldam threw a chunk of ice at you and ran off with the Stars,” said Koops.

“Lillian gave chase,” added Goombella.

“Look, it’s great that Cerin’s not dead or anything, but we gotta move!” demanded Tank, impatiently tapping his wrist with a finger. “Beldam’s headed for the Shadow Queen right now!”

“Can you walk?” whispered Vivian, still holding the smaller siren close to her. “You’re not concussed or anything, are you?”

“I don’t think so,” they said uncertainly, clinging to her hand as she helped them up and leaning on her for support as they moved. They traced their fingers around their right temple and winced at the enormous lump that was forming, hidden under their hairline.

The others excepting Marilyn were on their way out of the room, through a small doorway that really looked more like a hole in the wall. The throne had been pushed away and now lay sadly on its side. Marilyn walked with them stoically, though Cerin could sense waves of anxiety coming off of her. They wished they knew more sign language so they could communicate with her properly.

The small tunnel led directly to a long, long flight of descending stairs. The footsteps and voices of their friends before them echoed throughout the hall. If they concentrated Cerin could pick out individual words and voices: “…excellent fighting back there…” “Can you believe those things were once X-Naut PhDs? And, like, Swoopulas, and…” “…gruesome, truly, everything about that was horrific…”

With each step they took, Cerin felt more and more nervous, dreading, even.

“Vivian,” they whispered. “I don’t…want to see her.”

“I don’t either, Cerin,” the older siren whispered back.

“No, I--“ They were interrupted by a tremendously loud bang and cringed into Vivian’s shoulder. Tank’s voice, though distant, was clearly distinguishable. “Beldam, you’re finished!”

They groaned, suddenly feeling the tug of nausea again, as if they were back outside the Door before it opened. Vivian suddenly gagged and coughed; she could feel it too. Marilyn’s only reaction was to wrap an arm around her stomach.

“Vivian, we can’t go in there,” they pleaded. They felt as if they’d suddenly collapse and leaned heavily on her. “Don’t you feel it?”

“Yes…but I felt like this last time too…and it all ended up okay.”

“But you had Mario, and the Crystal Stars, and Beldam wasn’t—“ Their voice died in their throat as the three sirens hit the end of the stairs. Someone had thrown open the double doors, causing the bang from earlier. The air was icy cold, whether it was from Beldam’s influence or Cerin’s own nerves they couldn’t tell.

“Our friends need us,” said Vivian. She sounded incredibly frightened, but she spoke with an undeniable ferocity. “Just…just stay close to me, okay? Please.”

They relented, hoping that she was right and it was just the Queen’s influence setting off alarm bells in their head. Vivian squeezed their hand but let go to reached out and touch Marilyn, getting her attention. The two sirens talked to each other for a moment, Cerin observing carefully, trying to pick up some signs. The sisters hugged, Vivian shaking slightly. When they broke apart, she swallowed thickly and stared ahead at the open double doors. The three sirens stepped inside together.

The room was enormous and dark, made entirely of stone; the only light source came from lines and lines of candles along the walls, each sitting on its own pedestal. The Queen’s crypt, a stone coffin, sat on a raised platform at the farthest end of the room. In front of it stood Beldam, eyes ablaze with the white light, the Crystal Stars circling slowly a few feet above her. Facing her on the other side stood Lillian, an entire jungle of snapping and lunging Piranha Plants behind her in a C shape. Beyond the plant siren and her army were the others, staying near the back wall close to the door, tense and prepared to fight or flee.

The two sirens seemed to be at a stalemate; both were rippling with power.

“One inch toward that coffin, Beldam, and all of us will tear you apart,” growled Lillian.

“I’m not scared of any of you,” the ice siren snarled back. “Least of all you!” She jabbed a finger in Lillian’s direction with all the force as if she’d wanted to stab her instead.

“You should be!” Lillian shouted, pointing back at Beldam. With a rumble, her Piranha Plants advanced. But then they froze as the lid of the coffin mere feet behind Beldam made an awful noise of stone grinding against stone as it began moving, opening.

Cerin watched in horror as dark purple mist emerged from the opening, slowly solidifying into smoke, then a solid cloud, then a vortex. As it appeared the lines of candles along the walls began to glow purple and black rather than orange. Vivian and Marilyn were pulling them away, backing them against the rightmost wall, but they were so entranced by the emergence they went limp. They were paralyzed with fear and some emotion they couldn’t quite place, but it felt like…contentment.

When they looked again the Shadow Queen had adopted what Cerin instinctively knew was her true form, and the sight sent a violent shudder and another jolt of nausea coursing through them. She had a recognizable head, with long flowing hair and a crown that covered her eyes, but her body looked as if it were more of a swirling darkness with a cold, black core. They froze entirely when they saw her hands; they weren’t at all attached to her body, just floating in the air close by. While they were purple and Cerin’s shadow hands were black, there was no denying that the Queen had modeled the first Cerin’s powers after her own, and thus the current Cerin shared her abilities too.

Beldam didn’t look behind her once until the Shadow Queen’s horrible, snakelike voice whispered, “Who…has called me back?”

“Hello again, Mother,” said Beldam flatly. Her eyes suddenly seemed less blindingly white; they were fading back to being hidden underneath the brim of her hat.

“Beldam? Again?” The Queen chuckled quietly; the noise made Cerin’s skin crawl. “Your devotion to me is most impressive. It feels like just yesterday you were manipulating that fool Grodus…” She trailed off. Her voice didn’t sound like it was being spoken as much as it was projected into all her listeners’ heads at once. Cerin confirmed this by risking a glance at Marilyn and seeing her clamp her hands over her ears, not used to hearing the voices of others.

“And you’ve even returned to me the Crystal Stars,” said the Queen, a self-satisfied smile tugging at her lips. “You truly have outdone yourself, Beldam.” One of her hands faded from view and then reappeared in front of the ice siren, open-palmed. Bitterly, Beldam relinquished the Stars; as each gem touched the moving darkness of the Queen’s hand it vanished, leaving a flickering, colorful outline that momentarily blinked out of existence. Beldam stood to the side, arms tightly crossed, head tilted downward so the Queen couldn’t see her sour expression. When the seventh Star had been taken, the Queen’s hand returned back to where it had been before, and she looked further around the room. The writhing wall of Piranha Plants behind Beldam had grown still and quiet. The Queen waved her hand, and _something_ emerged from the ground beneath them, dragging them under and swallowing them whole. It had almost looked like a mass of small, pale purple hands…Cerin felt sick.

“Lillian,” said the Queen. The plant siren was exposed now that her army was gone, and she trembled. “Where were you when I called before?” asked the Queen.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Mother…I was…incapacitated,” stammered Lillian.

“By what?” said the Queen sharply. Before the plant siren could respond, the Queen said, “No matter. We can catch up later. A more pressing issue is the presence of these intruders,” one hand slowly pointed to the non-Sirens huddled against the opposite wall, “and those traitors.” The other indicated Cerin, Vivian, and Marilyn, standing off to the side. Both elder Sirens went rigid under the Queen’s imposing stare, and a wave of sickness washed over Cerin as her head turned. It felt like she was staring directly at Cerin and her gaze burned their skin.

“I knew my youngest had chosen to betray me,” the Queen said harshly. Vivian whimpered quietly and a definite shiver raced through Marilyn. “But now there’s two…and a third. One I do not recognize.”

Despite their obvious fear, Vivian and Marilyn simultaneously stepped in front of Cerin protectively. The Queen’s lips parted in a snarl and her face flashed where her eyes would be. With a bang both elder sirens were sent flying with screeches of pain, chunks of floor traveling with them. Cerin felt the full force of the Queen’s gaze on them and was suddenly sure they were about to pass out.

“I know all my children…and you are not one of them.” The room was dead silent but for the Queen’s booming voice and the occasional rustling of the Piranha Plants. “But you look just like one, and your soul is that of a Shadow Siren’s. How did you come to be? Speak!”

Too terrified to even blink, let alone talk, Cerin was silent. Vivian and Marilyn had gotten up, though both seemed wounded. Even so, Vivian found the courage to cry, “Leave them alone!”

“Who are you that would disobey me? Not only are you traitors, but fools as well. I expected much better of my creations.” With a disgusted scowl, the Queen’s eyes flashed again. The two Sirens ducked for cover, the black lightning aimed at them this time missing narrowly and sending pieces of the stone floor scattering everywhere.

“You, child. I demand your name and your maker,” the Queen ordered. An odd glow came over her face and Cerin felt as if something was creeping into their mind, pulling it apart. Their willpower to resist crumbled completely and the words tumbled out of their mouth before they could stop them: “My name is Cerin and I have no maker.”

The Shadow Queen released whatever grip she held on their mind and they clapped their hands over their mouth. “Cerin,” repeated the Queen. “My first child, my most loyal Shadow Siren. Do you really expect me to believe that you are her? Disgraceful.”

Marilyn was slowly getting up, preparing an attack of her own, but the Queen fired off another bolt of black magic, blowing up the ground at the lightning siren’s tail. Marilyn collapsed with a cry of pain. “Furthermore,” the Queen said with no regard for the fallen siren, “no Shadow Siren is born without me. Clearly you have done something to the true Cerin to take her name, and by eliminating you, I will bring her back.”

One of the hands raised slowly. Cerin screwed their eyes shut and flinched away.

“Wait! I—I know what happened to Cerin! It has nothing to do with them!”

Everyone froze; every pair of eyes in the room trained on Lillian, looking petrified but nevertheless standing her ground.

“Pray tell, what fate befell the original?” said the Queen, sounding a little bit sarcastic.

“She suffered some kind of accident,” Lillian explained hurriedly. “It split her soul into pieces—I don’t know how. Nor do I have an explanation for them,” she pointed at Cerin. “But I don’t think the two are connected.”

“My Queen, she’s trying to feed you lies,” spat Beldam. “If it would please you, I’ll happily escort all these traitors straight to Bonetail so we may be done with it all.”

“Patience, Beldam. I have reason to believe Lillian is telling the truth. I sense the true Cerin’s soul with us in this realm.” As she said this the Queen turned to Lillian and suddenly brought both her hands in front of her in a clawing motion. Lillian gasped, shuddered, and fell to the floor, unconscious.

Cerin fought back a gasp of their own. Vivian had approached them again, one hand on their shoulder. She tensed as Lillian crumpled to the ground. “What was that for?!” they hissed to her. She didn’t answer.

With a grunt of effort the Queen pulled both hands forward, and the shadows that had been cast along the floors and walls leaned in slowly toward her. There seemed to be a thin purple mist condensing in front of her, slowly taking a shape that Cerin felt they almost recognized. Vivian’s breath hitched in her chest and the hand that was on Cerin’s shoulder suddenly clamped down hard enough to hurt.

“Beldam. While I am busy, ensure that these fools do not escape,” said the Queen in a low but very dangerous tone of voice.

“Yes, my Queen,” said Beldam darkly. She warped away and appeared at the door to the crypt, hands outstretched in the directions of both the sirens and the rest of the party.

“You all, stay back or I _swear_ I will hurt you,” she growled to the party before turning her gaze to her sisters and Cerin. “And as for you…” She gave a sardonic little chuckle. “Freeze.”

A gust of icy wind came billowing toward them. Cerin’s yelp of surprise died in their throat as their skin burned, then went numb. It was so cold it was almost hot. Their eyes stung and they squeezed them shut, just in time as they realized half a second later they could no longer move. They tried moving their arms, then their fingers, and nothing happened. They couldn’t breathe.

They must have been stuck in a block of ice, because voices and sounds were muffled enough to be unrecognizable. At the mercy of Beldam’s spell, they could do nothing but wait, lungs burning, wishing that they were experienced enough with their own powers to break the ice without moving their hands.

The ice around them shattered suddenly and they collapsed, gasping for breath and shivering violently. A pair of strong arms wrapped around them and helped them up. They looked up at Marilyn, whose hat had icicles growing on its brim, and shivered involuntarily, nuzzling into her body heat.

“Brat!” Beldam suddenly barked. Cerin turned; Vivian and Beldam were rapidly exchanging spells, Beldam hurling ice shards and freezing winds in quick succession as Vivian melted and warmed them with her fire before they could touch her.

Worried as they were for Vivian’s safety, Cerin tore their eyes away to instead look at the Shadow Queen, and they gasped. Marilyn followed their gaze and tightened her grip on them.

It was like looking into a mirror, or perhaps an alternate universe. The Shadow Siren the Queen had been busy constructing was Cerin’s height, maybe a little taller, and had the same shaggy black hair, though it was longer and cascaded halfway down their back. In between the strands their eyes were visible, an identical shade of dark purple, half-lidded and flat. Cerin’s heart thudded in their chest. The new Siren was completely still, their body still solidifying, as white gloves and a purple and white striped hat wove themselves onto the Siren’s hands and head. With a hissing noise that sounded like both a snake and a gasp for air, the shadows in the room bent back outward, and the Siren jerked to life, turning over their hands and touching their body in disbelief.

“M…Mother, thank you,” they said, stunned.

“Of course, Cerin,” said the Queen. “To celebrate your rebirth, join Beldam in delivering these traitors and intruders to their doom.”

“As…as you wish, my Queen,” said the new-old Cerin reverently. She turned behind her slightly, and her gaze lingered on the unconscious Lillian for only a second. But then she whirled around to meet Beldam’s eyes and she clapped her hands.

“Come now, Beldam,” she said, her voice suddenly much more powerful and commanding. The two fighting sirens had stopped trading spells to gape at the newest arrival in shock. The new Cerin sniffed contemptuously as she approached. “It is clear you cannot handle this task alone.”

“I—“ Beldam cut herself off, the smoldering look she gave the new Cerin apparent even with her eyes hidden. “Very well.”

The new Cerin grinned and snapped her fingers. At once five hands burst from the shadows pooling beneath her and raced toward their victims, three heading straight for the non-Sirens and two heading for Cerin.

One of them broke away and immediately wrapped itself tightly around Vivian; the other coiled around both Marilyn and Cerin before either could move. It felt…cold, not nearly as cold as Beldam’s ice, but definitely not warm. They were sandwiched between the shadow and Marilyn, who strained against it, but it wouldn’t so much as budge. The hand seemed to drift along the ground, carrying both struggling Sirens effortlessly and falling in line behind the elder Cerin. The other hands joined them shortly; Cerin strained to turn around and look at the others. Tank and Goombella were together, as were Flurrie and Bobbery. Koops was on his own. All five looked completely shellshocked. The two able Sirens led the way out of the crypt, up the painfully long flight of stairs, out of the passage behind the throne and finally out of the throne room.

“Whose side are you on?” demanded Beldam as the group entered a darkened hallway, jabbing an accusatory finger at the elder Cerin.

“Mine.” Her reply was matter-of-fact.

“Is that so?” sniffed Beldam. “Because I don’t think the Queen would appreciate her most loyal, beloved servant having allegiances to anyone else before her.”

“Are you threatening to tattle on me?” said Cerin dryly. “How childish, Beldam. But that game, you see, is for two players.” She straightened herself up and loomed over Beldam, despite the height difference between the two sirens being only a few inches.

She continued, “Like it or not, the Queen trusts me more than you. If my word is pitted against yours, unless you have some very convincing evidence, you will lose. And ultimately, if I were to suggest to her that now she must also fear treason, one who plots to usurp her throne right out from under her…” She trailed off meaningfully, giving the ice siren another grin. “Oh, imagine the resulting fallout. It would be nothing short of spectacular.”

For a moment, Beldam said nothing, though her fists clenched and the air around them dropped a few degrees. She growled through gritted teeth, “Fine, fine. I get it. Pretend to belong to the Queen until it’s convenient not to.”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing,” interrupted Cerin.

“That’s different! I have a plan in mind, but I have to lay low. Meanwhile, you get to sit around being the Queen’s pet, reaping all the benefits of having her trust you unconditionally when in the end you’re going to backstab her as well.”  She huffed. “And then there’s that damned fool Lillian. I’m sure she gets the same treatment, being a former captain and all, despite not even lifting a finger to help the Queen when she fell. Where were either of you two years ago when I singlehandedly resurrected her? And now you have the nerve to sit here and hold the threat of execution over my head when I even insinuate I get the treatment I deserve!”

There was a tense silence. Both Sirens were suddenly boiling; they stopped moving, instead staring each other down. Quietly and dangerously Cerin said, “What did you just say about Lillian?”

“She’s goddamn useless, Cerin! Easily manipulated by anyone who tells her what she wants to hear! Too wrapped up in her own emotions to think critically! And her powers are pathetic when I can freeze any of her stupid Piranha Plants solid without even trying! How was a gullible, simpering moron like her ever put in charge of anyone?”

“You loathsome megalomaniac!” bellowed Cerin suddenly. The younger Cerin wheezed as the hand that held them and Marilyn captive suddenly tightened its hold, squeezing the air out of their lungs. From the gasps that went up around them, the rest of the hands must have done the same. The elder Cerin didn’t notice, advancing on Beldam with rage in every line of her face. The smaller siren backed away, hands up protectively.

“I have half a mind to tear you limb from limb for even _daring_ to think that way about her!” shouted the elder Cerin. The younger rasped, the hand squeezing them ever harder. Then at once the pressure was gone and they fell face-first onto the floor, taking in a shuddering breath. Marilyn, too, fell to the floor with a thud. They looked up, with relief seeing that Vivian, and thus presumably the others, had been released. But their relief turned to horror when they saw all five hands again, backing the elder Cerin as she confronted Beldam, reaching up to four times her height and casting dark shadows over the terrified ice Siren.

“You wretch, you disgust me,” she growled at a lower volume. The hands shrunk away and Cerin watched Beldam exhale shakily. The elder Cerin continued in a slightly calmer but still infuriated tone, “Haven’t you a modicum of respect for your elders? Lillian’s four generations your senior, she has nearly a decade of wartime experience on you! Of course the Queen will trust her more and of course she’ll still be a captain!”

Beldam, for once frightened into silence, pointed wordlessly at the prisoners. The elder Cerin turned around, for the first time realizing they were free. In the next moment the younger Cerin disappeared into the shadows. They remained instead of warping away, as much as they were tempted to escape--where would they go, anyway? They moved slightly away from the commotion they could hear above them; Beldam yelling, “Idiot! Get them!” accompanied by a scuffle, footsteps and grunts of effort, the ghostly noises sirens made when they moved.

“Cerin, where are you?” hissed Vivian’s voice nearby. Immediately they rose, inches from her, and she quickly took them into her arms. They turned around, though, refusing to be buried in her chest. They needed to see what was happening.

Beldam was alone, facing off Marilyn and all the non-Sirens. They must have had the upper hand, because they were all attacking at once and most of their blows were connecting. When she fought back, Marilyn would fire off bolts of lightning that exploded her ice shards into harmless snowflakes. The elder Cerin stood off to the side, arms crossed, two shadow hands at the ready but not in motion. She seemed to just be…watching. Tank, who had done an acrobatic backflip off of Beldam’s face, landed smoothly in front of Vivian and the younger Cerin, focused entirely on getting another hit on the ice siren.

 “Tank, get out of here!” Vivian ordered. Tank whipped around and glanced at her with an unamused expression. “I’m serious, leave or she’ll capture you again! We’ll be fine, just take the others and go!”

“No way,” Tank began to protest, but Vivian cut him off. “You might not get another chance, a-and you don’t know what she’s capable of! Please, j-just go!”

Her voice broke. The Yoshi at first looked as if he wanted to keep arguing, but an uncharacteristic dispiritedness crossed his face as he held his gaze with her. He was tired. They all were, Cerin realized, looking around at how the others carried themselves, the bruises and cuts that marred their skin. “Alright,” Tank said quietly. “See you, Viv.” To the others, he yelled, “Hey, we’re pulling rank! Move it or lose it!”

“What? Cowards!” Beldam snarled. As disheveled and weak as she was from the repeated assaults, to her credit, she was still firing off freezing spells as the non-sirens retreated toward Tank. The five of them rushed off, Tank at the front, Bobbery at the rear. Enraged, Beldam attempted to give chase, but Marilyn stepped in front of her and shoved her to the ground. The lightning siren loomed over her, arms open and fingers crackling with electricity, daring her to make another move.

Beldam must have been too exhausted to keep fighting, as she stopped struggling to get up. Her hat rolled off her head and her eyes were barely visible through her hair as she stared up at her younger sister. “Marilyn, why?”

The larger siren didn’t answer.

“Perhaps it’s because you’re a narcissist,” said the elder Cerin as she approached the others slowly and deliberately. Her shadow hands had shrunk away by now, but she still seemed just as imposing. In a way, she emanated power just like the Shadow Queen did, just on a significantly smaller scale.

“Nobody asked you,” spat Beldam from where she lay. “Miserable, incompetent traitors, all of you. Hurry up and kill me already.”

“Don’t tempt me,” said the elder Cerin coldly. To Marilyn, she commanded, “Watch her. Don’t you dare let her sneak off.”

The lightning siren nodded dutifully, and the oldest siren’s mouth quirked. “Not much of a talker, are you?”

“Um,” said Vivian timidly. “She…she’s deaf…so she doesn’t really talk…she’s really good at lip reading, though…”

“Is that so?” The elder Cerin gave Marilyn a once-over. “My memory must be failing me. I remember her, vaguely, but only her appearance, and that she’s a seventh-gen Siren. Much like you,” she pointed at Beldam, “and you,” now at Vivian.

“Oh, here we go,” muttered Beldam from the floor.

“Her name’s Marilyn,” said Vivian quickly, “and mine’s Vivian.”

The elder Cerin fixed her with a stare that was obvious even when her eyes were hidden. “I don’t recall—“

“I-I don’t use that name anymore,” Vivian clarified quickly. A wave of heat radiated off of her, perceptible only to Cerin. “I h-haven’t for a thousand years.”

The elder Cerin mulled this over for a minute, then shrugged. “Whatever. I suppose there’s no point in using a name you won’t respond to.”

Vivian exhaled slowly.

The elder Cerin locked her gaze on the younger, and they felt tempted to shrink back behind Vivian but chose instead to stand their ground. The original Siren approached them, and they could feel her eyes roving all over their body, practically scorching them. The heat pulsed from Vivian again.

“So this is him,” said the elder Cerin finally. “The kid who’s been running around with a fragment of my soul fused with his.”

“Um…” Vivian interrupted again. The eldest siren gave her an unimpressed glance and she stepped back, but went on, “They’re a they, not a he…”

“Did you teach him that?” said the elder sharply, and Vivian cringed.

“I can--I can be a he,” Cerin said, thoroughly disliking this new tension. “Or a they, whichever…”

The elder Cerin sighed. “Kids these days. But again, I say, whatever. What is most important right now is that he, or they, understand what is at stake here.” She turned on her younger counterpart. “Listen closely. You and I each have an identical fragment of a soul within us, and under normal circumstances, that shouldn’t be possible. But the Queen remade both my body and the part of the soul I was missing that you contain. For right now, against all odds, the two of us can coexist. However.” She stood up straight again, putting her hands behind her back and pacing as she continued to speak. “Should we somehow defeat the Queen, that will no longer be possible. Her magic will dissolve. One of us is likely to stop existing, forever. I don’t know for certain who it will be. Common sense dictates that it will be me, because it is the Queen’s magic that returned me to this realm, and with her gone, I should be too. But it is just as likely that you, because you are such an anomaly, will be the victim instead.”

“Anomaly?” repeated the younger Cerin.

“Oh, yes, on a number of levels. Shadow Sirens aren’t born by accident, the Queen carefully crafts us individually. It takes a great deal of time, effort, and precision. But not you. No, the Queen certainly didn’t intend to create you—how she did it, I’m not entirely sure myself. As if that weren’t enough, your creation somehow took a portion of a soul from a person banished from both the living and the dead. And because of that you retain most of my powers, some of my memories, a substantial amount of my appearance.” The elder Cerin ticked off the reasons on her fingers as she went.

There was a pregnant pause. Cerin finally broke it by asking, “So…I’m an accident? A mistake?”

“Don’t take it personally, kid,” said the elder Cerin with a flippant shrug. “Stuff happens. You’re here now, and that’s what matters.”

“You’re not a mistake!” interrupted Vivian, surprising both Cerins. They both looked at her as she approached—she actually shot the elder Cerin a glare as she snapped, “Don’t call them that, what’s wrong with you?”

“I didn’t think about it,” admitted the oldest siren, also taken aback by Vivian’s sudden brazenness. “I…apologize.”

“How do we even know we can trust you?” Vivian went on, but her mettle seemed to be failing her now, as she shrunk away nervously. “I-I mean, you’re the Queen’s most…most loyal servant and all…”

The elder Cerin crossed her arms. “Truth be told,” she said with a trace of reluctance, “if I had needed to make this decision a thousand years ago, I certainly would have stood by the Queen until the bitter end. But things have changed, as have my loyalties. There are far more important things to me than the Queen. She would certainly not approve of, er…” For once she looked awkward, and the imposing aura faded as she dropped her gaze, pulling at the wrists of her gloves. “My, uh…relationship with Lillian,” she mumbled.

In spite of herself, Vivian visibly fought back a smile but ultimately lost. “Really? That’s so cute!”

“Hush, you,” growled the elder Cerin, but she didn’t sound as serious as she could have.

“Wait, _that’s_ what’s been going on with you and her?” said Beldam incredulously from the ground. “Good lord, am I the only normal person here?”

“You’re in no position to run your mouth, you whelp,” snapped the elder Cerin.

“Sirens aren’t meant to fall in love!” shot back Beldam. “It’s all just weakness compounding weakness! And we’re especially not meant to run off with each other! The Queen is right to disapprove! All of you are disgraces!”

 _“Anyway,”_ said the elder Cerin pointedly over Beldam’s tantrum, “my point is that the Queen no longer has my undying loyalty. If all of you are prepared to embark on this probable suicide mission, so am I. What’s more, I have a plan.”

“You do?” said Vivian as Cerin leaned in closer.

“Well…it’s not my finest. It’s a bit…” she trailed off awkwardly, moving her hand in a circular motion as if it would give her the words she lacked. “Unfinished,” she said finally. “I’ll need much more time to finalize it. But it’s all we have. Now listen closely, this is what we all need to be doing right now…”


	10. Correspondence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this turned out to be kind of a shorter chapter cause the next chapter is enormous, but the good news is that i'm finally done writing everything and it's all ready to be posted. i'm half tempted to just dump all the remaining chapters at once so i can be done with it but i also want it to be spread out over 7-10 days like it has been (because i'm a slut for hits) even if there's not much of a reason to. thoughts?  
> also the chronological prequel i mentioned a while back is done too, clocking in at around 20k words depending on if i decide to include a specific chapter or not. so when this mess is done i'm probably going to post all of that at once too. as always, thanks for reading

Cerin lurked quietly behind a weird statue of a Chain Chomp in the courtyard. The remnants of the ruined city gave them the creeps, but the elder Cerin had assigned them to this post specifically. And now they waited, hidden partially in the shadows the statue drew across the bluish-gray stone, every sense primed and alert for any sign of life. But they had been waiting here for quite some time and nothing seemed to be happening. The only sound was the quiet rushing of water from the moat surrounding the circular tower in the back of the room: Riddle Tower, the elder Cerin had called it.

They gasped quietly as they heard a noise on the other side of the room, toward the throne room and the crypt, and carefully peeked around the statue to see. Immediately they retracted their head and pressed their back against the statue, ready to sink into the shadows. They had been hoping to see Lillian, but instead a horde of green bat-like creatures had swarmed out of the doorway and now hung like a cloud in the air, making small squeaky noises to each other. Cerin tried their best to blend themself into the shadows and the statue as much as possible as the bat creatures flew overhead, but they paid the siren no mind as they soared across the room and into the next, leaving no trace except for the echoes of their squeaking.

The Queen was rebuilding her army, the elder Cerin had hypothesized. And those bats had seemed familiar somehow…

Another noise drew their attention, and again they turned. A lone green-haired siren stood right in front of the doorway coming from the stairs that led to the throne room. She was mostly still except for her head turning, looking around.

“Lillian!” Cerin called. They meant to keep a low volume but their voice echoed around the chamber anyway. The plant siren started at the noise but gave a weak smile when they revealed themself and came toward her.

“You’re alive,” she said as they approached.

“Yes,” they said blankly, not entirely sure how to react to her lack of reaction. “You’re okay?”

She shrugged. “More or less…she knocked me out to interrogate me privately, but I just told her the same thing, and I think she bought it.” She lifted the brim of her hat slightly. “She said…she remade the original Cerin. Is that true? Does she…remember me?”

They nodded, a little awkwardly. “You’re still…together, I think.”

Lillian breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness…I just didn’t know if her being reborn would interfere with her memory or her feelings, you know?” She shook her head to clear it. “She must have a plan by now…what is it?”

“For now, act like nothing’s wrong. The truth is that the others escaped, with any luck they’ve made it out of the Palace by now. And Beldam…Cerin took her away. I don’t know what she’s going to do with her.”

Lillian shrugged. “Beldam can rot for all I care. I’m guessing we have to keep the Queen from realizing that all her prisoners are gone?”

“Uh, yeah,” said Cerin, a little bothered by how willing Lillian was to brush off Beldam’s fate. “Marilyn, Vivian, and I are supposed to snoop around without being seen. But the Queen trusts you, right? You can find out what she’s planning.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do,” said Lillian quietly. “I can tell you that so far she’s just been focusing on replacing her army after Beldam wiped them all out with whatever kind of grotesque magic she taught herself. The Queen doesn’t know that, though…she thinks it’s your fault. You and the others, I mean. I didn’t try to correct her, though maybe I ought to...”

“What else?” Cerin prompted.

Lillian shrugged. “She doesn’t exactly tell me everything…in the end I’m just another Shadow Siren. The only person she’d ever share any plotting with is Cerin, and even then that didn’t happen often. But we’re not stupid, we can extrapolate. I’m positive when she completely rebuilds her army, she’ll start…making more of us. More Shadow Sirens. Newborns who know nothing but their instinctual devotion to her…”

All too familiar with this, Cerin winced, but an idea came to them. “But…what if we could convince them that she’s the bad guy? I learned pretty quickly that I didn’t want to be on her side.”

Lillian gave them a withering stare and they felt tempted to back away. “You don’t understand what it’s like to be…indoctrinated into serving her,” the plant siren said, her words quiet but sharp. “You had an easy time of learning otherwise because Vivian was, _is_ your surrogate Queen. Imagine if you learned that _she_ was an evil, power-hungry, controlling monster who was just using you to get what she wanted.”

Cerin said nothing for several moments, too horrified to even consider the scene Lillian laid out for them. Finally they stammered, “W-what do you mean Vivian’s my surrogate Queen?”

Lillian seemed to relax slightly at this, though they could tell she raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious? You’ve latched onto her and have no intentions of letting go. She’s your everything. You’d do anything for her, even die if it meant she was safe. Right?”

They gave her a suspicious glare, not liking where she was going. She took their silence for a confirmation and went on, “Every Shadow Siren felt like that about the Queen, Cerin. She made us that way for a reason. She had an army of devotees who conquered the continent in her name. And then she went and died on us all, leaving us completely alone in a world that wanted every single one of us dead. It was…hard unlearning all of that. Some were lucky and quickly found something else to turn their devotion to…I was one of them. My Cerin was not.”  She glanced down. “It took her nearly five hundred years to stop missing her, even with me by her side, reminding her what was really important. How could you expect a child to unlearn those base instincts in a fraction of that time?”

They fell silent, still wanting to argue but finding no words. Was their urge to protect Vivian, make her happy, really just instinct? The thought made them feel…ashamed, and they didn’t know why. “Nothing more,” they muttered, mostly to themself.

Lillian seemed confused for a moment but caught on quickly. “Oh, no, Cerin, I…I didn’t mean it like that. It’s…whatever you feel for her is more than instinct, okay? What matters…is that you feel so strongly about something or someone that it keeps you going, even when it’s hard. Maybe it’s a Cerin thing to find someone and vow to protect her, always.” She offered them a small smile that quickly faded. “Speaking of, the plan. What are we going to do about the Stars?”

They nodded. “Cerin said our best bet is to try and steal them from the Queen.”

“Easier said than done,” said Lillian with a shrug. “She’s been defeated with them twice now, she’s not going to let them out of her sight for any reason. I don’t think she’d allow even Cerin anywhere near them.”

“So there’s…no way to get them back from her,” said Cerin with a sinking feeling.

Lillian gave another noncommittal shrug. “That doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

“But…” Cerin floundered, irritation surging upward from their core and pooling in their head and fists. “To just barge in without some kind of solid plan is—is suicide! The moment she realizes that you and Cerin are rebelling against her she’ll kill both of you, no questions asked! Then she’ll have the rest of us traitors killed, too, and then there won’t be anybody to defeat her unless more legendary heroes show up!”

Suddenly embarrassed by their outburst, they shrank back, nervously tugging at their gloves. Lillian had put a hand up to her mouth. Cerin had assumed it was in shock, but then they heard small giggling noises.

“What are you laughing at?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” said the plant Siren between giggles, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself. “It’s just that you sound _exactly_ like her. My Cerin is so meticulous and calculating…when the Queen fell the first time and all the Sirens started fleeing for our lives, she said something very similar to me. She’d never anticipated the Queen’s defeat until it was happening, so of course she didn’t plan for it, and being so unprepared freaked her out. But I think the only reason either of us survived was because we had to think quickly and couldn’t stick to any one plan. That and a lot of dumb luck.”

“So you’re saying that we shouldn’t be planning at all,” said Cerin flatly.

“Don’t put words in my mouth, sweetheart. I’m saying that not having a good plan right now isn’t the end of the…” She cut herself off. “Perhaps that wasn’t the best phrase to use.”

“This isn’t helping,” grumbled Cerin. “I don’t want to just sit around and wait for something to happen!”

“Cerin just told you to find me and relay the information, right?” said Lillian sympathetically. “You’ve done your job. Let her worry about the rest, okay? Oh, and…uh, would you mind telling her--”

There was an aggravated pounding up the stairs within the building nearby and both sirens jumped. Lillian hissed, “Go, get out of here!”

Cerin didn’t need to be told twice. They sank into the shadows beneath them but remained for a moment, listening hard as the pounding grew louder and louder. With a bang the door of the building burst open and there was the grinding of some incredibly hard substance against the stone ground, and…barking? Unnerved, Cerin retreated back to where the rebelling Sirens had made their “home base” of sorts; the elder Cerin had revealed a hidden passageway deep in the heart of the Palace of Shadow, among the countless traps and puzzles meant to capture and confound intruders. There was no indication that would lead the untrained eye to their hiding spot except a small crack in one of the Palace’s many tall, imposing staircases. Cerin appeared before it now and closed their eyes as they pressed their hand next to it; the panel they pushed sank inward, and darkness seeped through at the movement, interacting with the slight power Cerin forced through their hand. The wall rumbled. When they opened their eyes the crack in the wall had widened just enough for a fairly slender person to squeeze through. For small sirens like Cerin (both of them, actually), they could enter just by slightly turning their shoulders. Marilyn, on the other hand, was forced to sink into the shadows and warp inside, but it didn’t seem like that big of a deal to her.

The elder Cerin had explained that the place had long ago been a secret chamber known only to Sirens in case the Palace was ever under attack by an enemy they couldn’t hope to beat.  “Only had to use it once,” she had said bitterly. Prior to the Queen’s defeat, the hidden room and others like it were used as recreational areas more than anything. The elder Cerin described Sirens sitting around when they had nothing else to be doing, exchanging war stories and gossip, with a kind of wistfulness that the younger Cerin found both understandable yet horrifying. Sirens were made to control, and manipulate, and even kill if necessary…yet the picture that the eldest siren had painted in their mind’s eye of those Sirens socializing, talking about those ruthless actions, seemed nothing short of appealing.

They finally popped out of the crack into the small room of the hollowed-out staircase, only about as big as Cerin’s own bedroom back in Twilight Town and lit by one singular candle on the back wall. They had been hoping the elder Cerin was waiting there, but the only other siren in the room was Marilyn, in a seated position on the floor with her back against the wall. She hadn’t noticed Cerin enter, so they waved, hoping the movement would grab her attention. But she didn’t even turn her head; then Cerin heard a faint snore and smiled to themself. The large siren definitely needed the rest. As they seated themself in a similar position on the opposite wall, they looked at Marilyn and winced at the way the flickering candlelight outlined all the cuts and scrapes she’d gotten from her run-in with Lillian. How long ago had all of that been? Though it felt like it had been forever ago with all that had happened, when they sat down to think about it…

“Seven hours,” they muttered to themself. They had woken up in their bed in Twilight just this morning. In only seven hours the world had gone straight to hell, escorted quickly by the Shadow Queen. They shivered violently and clutched at their arms, then at the wooden wall, trying to find something solid to ground themself. The silence rang in their ears, broken only occasionally by Marilyn’s quiet snores. Then the roar of blood in their ears drowned that out, too, punctuated by their sudden panicked gasping as the full realization of what had happened really, _really_ hit them. They coughed weakly as the walls closed in around them, they were suddenly smothered by the gentle candlelight, and they hid in the shadows, where it was cool and silent.

They lost track of time as they stayed, immobile, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing. Gradually their pulse slowed and their hands stopped trembling; they emerged again, finding no change in the room, aside from Marilyn having turned toward them slightly in her sleep, and her hat lying on its side on the floor. With a quiet moan they settled themself back against the wall, pressing their palms into their eyes until they saw swirls of color and twisting their hair in between their fingers, inhaling shakily through gritted teeth. This was life now. “We’re doomed,” they muttered, taking their hands away from their face. They were so tired…they scooted away from the wall and lay down on their side atop the dusty floor. They took off their hat, balled it up, and shoved it under their head to make a crappy but usable pillow, feeling a pang of remorse for ruining Vivian’s handiwork. But it probably wouldn’t matter when they all died soon, they reasoned grimly, closing their eyes and trying to match their breathing to Marilyn’s.

Slowly, but faster than they’d expected, they drifted into a fitful sleep.


	11. Keeping Watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is another one of my favorite chapters to write and i hope it shows  
> i think i can split the rest of the story into 3 more chapters plus a small epilogue plus a bonus worldbuilding/list of facts thing cause i've developed the hell out of this universe and i'm going to share it if it kills me.  
> oh also if i need to like make a mention in the tags for gore or something please let me know, imo nothing's too graphic but it might be a little much for something taking place in the marioverse. so yeah consider that a content warning i guess

They awoke with a start, throwing themself upright and stifling a groan of pain as their spine protested. Did Shadow Sirens even have spines? Vivian was in front of them, one hand outstretched, as if she were just about to touch them. The hand dropped to her side as she whispered, “I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“No,” they said, looking around the room. Marilyn was still asleep, though she was now flat on her back with her hat over her face. The candle was burning low, minutes away from sputtering out. They weren’t sure if they had dreamed as much as had frighteningly vivid hallucinations; flashes of light, people howling in pain and terror, desperate cries for help. Nothing new at this point. They turned their gaze to Vivian and felt a rush of guilt as she picked up their crumpled, folded hat.

“I’m sorry,” they began, but she shook her head.

“I made these things really durable for a reason,” she said as she smoothed out all the creases from inside. Her hands came away smoking slightly, but the hat looked good as new. She smiled as she handed it back to them and said, “I didn’t want to wake you, but…someone needs to keep watch outside. The Queen’s forces are wandering and we can’t let them catch us, especially not asleep. Marilyn took first shift and I took second, so…”

“I got it.” They put on their hat and stood, stretching and rolling their shoulders.

“If you see anything out of the ordinary—one of the Queen’s minions, a siren you don’t recognize, anything—come wake us up immediately,” Vivian instructed. “Nothing happened on my shift, but…”

Cerin nodded, stifling a yawn. “Don’t worry. Sleep well.”

“Be safe,” Vivian murmured sleepily as they squeezed themself back through the crack in the room.

The Palace seemed no different than before, but knowing that the Queen had had all this time to create minions to patrol the place made Cerin’s hair stand on end. They looked around, squinting through the darkness, and realized for the first time that the wall beyond the staircase was filled with machinery and rotating gears. They were actually pretty noisy, making constant whirring and clicking sounds, and they were surprised they hadn’t taken any notice before. Now all the noise was just a distraction, they realized with a cold feeling, and they whipped around to glare suspiciously into the darkness on their other side. There was no sign of life. Nervously they yanked at their gloves.

As time passed, they went from standing at attention nearby the crack to sitting against the wall to slumped over, their exhaustion and paranoia at each others’ metaphorical throats. They were too anxious to sleep but knew that if they were suddenly attacked their powers would be pitiful, if they were able to summon the hands at all. And to top it all off they were _so goddamn hungry_. As the thought crossed their mind they blushed slightly at the language, thankful they hadn’t said it out loud and especially not in front of Vivian. But it was true—they hadn’t eaten since Twilight Town, and they were afraid that the growling of their stomach would give away their position before they were seen. Or maybe they’d just waste away to bones before they were found…if sirens had bones. The creaking of the machinery behind them had long faded into white noise as their stressed body tried to force them to nod off before their nerves jolted them awake again. They paced for a while but soon ended up smacking into the wall, and, thoroughly embarrassed, sat down again. They hadn’t seen a single soul, was there really that much of a threat of being discovered?

As they thought this their gaze drifted to the right and a pair of eyes glinted at them through the darkness, less than six inches away.

They screamed, leaping up and throwing their hands out. The shadow hands, to their immense relief, materialized instantly and swung at the intruder, who dodged effortlessly and stepped closer, but then they vanished. Cerin felt a pair of hands wrap around their neck from behind and froze, heart thudding, losing control of their powers for just a moment; out of their peripheral vision they watched the hands melt away, abandoning them.

“Give me your name,” hissed the intruder in a voice Cerin swore they’d heard before somewhere.

Too panicked to think of an alibi, they stammered, “C-Cerin!”

“Oh, thank goodness,” the intruder said, and the warmth of their hands vanished from around the siren’s throat. “I thought it was you, based on the description the others gave me, but in a place like this you can’t be too careful.”

They stepped around Cerin to face them from the front, and the dim light from a nearby torch illuminated them, revealing pristine white fur. Cerin’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Ms…Ms. Mowz?” they stammered.

“In the flesh, sweetie,” said the Squeek with a wink. “So sorry to have startled you, I promise it was nothing personal.”

“Is it…really you? I thought you would…”

“Being mind-controlled for two years wasn’t exactly easy, but Squeeks are made of tough stuff,” she said proudly. But then her demeanor abruptly deflated. “But things are bad out there, and I couldn’t possibly waste time recuperating when so much is at stake. Just like last time, when the Queen emerged, the sky went dark, and people panicked. They’re rioting as we speak. Additionally, I met up with the others before coming here, and they’re in desperate need of rest. They’ll be out of commission for hopefully just a day at the most, but, well, yesterday was taxing in all sorts of ways. I don’t need to tell you that.”

“Why are you here? It’s dangerous,” said Cerin.

“That’s exactly why I’m here,” said Ms. Mowz with a glimmer in her eye. “The others told me everything. The Shadow Queen won’t have the Crystal Stars for long.” As she said this she pulled something out from behind her and brandished it at Cerin, who gaped in a very undignified fashion. It took their voice several seconds of astonished croaking before they burst out, _“How??”_

“I am the greatest thief this world has ever seen, sweetie,” said Ms. Mowz smugly as she stuffed the Gold Star back into her inventory. “It’ll be a while before the Queen even notices it’s gone, and by then I’ll have taken two, maybe even three more.  And then, perhaps we’ll be on even footing with her.”

Cerin said nothing, so stunned with disbelief that they could barely breathe, let alone respond. Ms. Mowz chuckled, then rummaged around again and handed them a mushroom. “Here. I know it’s not much, but you seem quite hungry. Share it with the others, won’t you, and tell them it’s from me.”

They were silent for a moment, staring at the mushroom in their hands, trying not to salivate at the sight. “I…you can’t do this. Everyone opposing the Queen is being hunted down, if they see you they’ll kill—how did you even steal a Crystal Star from a _demon?!”_

“I’m not about to give up my trade secrets,” said the Squeek, giving them another borderline flirtatious wink. “Just know that I’m out there, doing what I do best. I’m never caught if I don’t want to be.”

Her prior encounter with Lillian made Cerin doubt this boastful statement, but they held their tongue.

“Now then, I should be off,” said Ms. Mowz, turning away. She said over her shoulder, “Take care, darling. I look forward to truly meeting you when all this mess is over and done with.” With an acrobatic frontflip, she disappeared into the creeping darkness of the Palace. Cerin strained to listen to her footsteps, but she didn’t make a sound.

They glanced down at the mushroom in their hands and could take no more, quickly tearing a chunk out of its cap with all the fervor of a ravenous animal. Ordinarily they hated raw mushrooms, but this one was heavenly. They stopped themself when they had eaten about a third of it, nowhere near full but knowing they needed to save some for Marilyn and Vivian. And they should probably eat it before it dried out, too. They took one last look at their surroundings before opening the sealed wall and sneaking through to deliver the meal.

Both sisters were completely passed out; Marilyn looked as if she hadn’t moved a muscle since Cerin had left, and Vivian was facedown on the ground, head buried in her arms, hat on the ground beside her. Cerin warily approached her and nudged her awake; she stirred and picked her head up, yawning hugely and revealing sharp teeth. The curls that normally covered her face were so unkempt and frizzy that they could easily see her eyes through the strands if they focused. Her pupils were dilated in the dim light. She sat up, rubbing at them, before she finally saw Cerin and stiffened.

“Cerin? What’s—“ She scrambled upright and only then noticed what they were holding. “Wha…food? Where’d you get that?”

“You’re not gonna believe this,” said Cerin as they tossed her the mushroom. “You have to share that with Marilyn.”

“I can believe that,” said Vivian innocently as she took a (much daintier) bite.

“No, you won’t believe where I got it from!” said Cerin. “Ms. Mowz gave it to me.”

Vivian made a loud noise with her mouth full; the way it pitched upward at the end let Cerin know it was a bewildered, “What?!”

“Yeah,” they said, “it was actually her this time. I think so at least…I hope so. She said she’s trying to steal the Crystal Stars right out from under the Shadow Queen.”

Vivian actually squeaked this time. She swallowed and said, “She’ll be killed!”

“That’s not even the best part,” said Cerin, a wild grin finding its way onto their face at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. “She’s already got one!”

 _“What!?”_ Vivian shouted. She looked over toward Marilyn immediately but then the realization dawned and she slapped her forehead. Despite this, she lowered her voice as she said, “How in the _hell_ did she manage to do that?” She winced suddenly and said lamely, “Uh, pardon my language.”

Cerin snickered at her sleep-deprivation-induced lapse in filter but tried to get a grip on themself. The last thing they needed was to collapse in a giggle fit. “She won’t say, but I saw the Star with my own eyes. Gold. She says she plans on getting two or three more before the Queen even notices what’s happening.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Vivian muttered. “You’re…you’re sure it was her? Not someone controlling her?”

“I think it was her, but I’ve never met her,” Cerin defended. Even so, they watched Vivian’s eyes land suspiciously on the mushroom and said indignantly, “Hey, I ate it and I’m fine!”

“You just…you can’t be too careful,” said Vivian quietly. She cautiously picked up the now half-eaten mushroom and examined it.

“She took the Gold Star from the Queen,” said Cerin with emphasis. “Even if someone _was_ controlling her, they’re probably on our side.”

“Probably,” repeated Vivian, still unconvinced. Even so, she took another piece of the mushroom and ate it, albeit with some apprehension. “You didn’t see anything or anyone else, did you?” she asked around the mushroom.

“No,” said Cerin truthfully, but they chose not to tell her that they had been treading the line between “awake” and “asleep” for so long that they could have easily have missed something. They needed to let Vivian rest. That said, now that the adrenaline of having been jumped by the Squeek thief had worn off they were right back where they started: exhausted, paranoid, and still hungry enough to be uncomfortable. They remembered how their powers had failed them so spectacularly when Ms. Mowz’s hands were around their throat and tensed. If she had been an enemy they’d surely be dead…

Vivian noticed their change in expression and frowned sympathetically. “It’s hard, I know. But I promise this’ll all be over soon…if Ms. Mowz really is on our side and we can use a few of the Crystal Stars against the Queen, we might have a chance.”

Cerin dropped their gaze to the floor, chewing on the inside of their lip. If they could survive until then, sure, but if they were going to freeze up every time something unexpected happened…

“You’re tired,” said Vivian softly. “I can take the rest of your shift and—“

“No,” said Cerin firmly despite a not insignificant part of their brain immediately begging them to take the offer. “I can handle it…I need to be able to work under this kind of stress.”

“That’s…true,” said Vivian hesitantly, “but pushing yourself too hard isn’t--”

“I need to do this,” interrupted Cerin again. “You need the rest.”

Vivian sighed, rubbing at her face with one hand. “Fine. But this better not be another self-sacrificial… _thing_ that puts you at risk of dying.”

“It’s not, I promise,” said Cerin with a tiny smile despite themself. The fire siren got much blunter when she was tired. With a small wave to her, they squeezed through the crack to the outside once more.

Their plan was to keep themself awake by practicing with their powers. Facing off against the Shadow Queen with their abilities as unreliable as they were now was a daunting challenge, and they had never felt less prepared. They concentrated, forming the hands, getting a feel for how their power felt as it rippled through their body; how their fingers tingled slightly as they moved them and the hands mimicked the action, how they swiped both hands through the air and felt some resistance, as if they were dragging their fingers through water, before the shadow hands followed a split second later. They found that there was a careful balance between forcing enough power through them to control the hands but not so much that they dissipated or that Cerin themself got too tired. It took focus, but if they concentrated too hard the hands would slip away. It was tedious work, but they felt they were getting better the more they practiced. And the elder Cerin seemed to be able to control her powers without moving her hands at all…it was now their goal to reach that level of expertise. She may have had over a thousand years of experience on them, but hell, it was something to aim for.

They lost track of time, so absorbed in their practice, that when they finally collapsed against the wall, breathing hard, it was only then that they remembered their job was to watch for the Queen’s forces. A quick scan of the surrounding areas revealed nothing out of the ordinary, though guilt still chewed at them for forgetting so easily and risking the lives of Marilyn and Vivian inside the secret room. If anyone had been watching, though, they certainly got a show. They sat, still catching their breath, but suddenly a weird sensation swept over them and they jumped upright, the hands immediately forming above them. They weren’t alone anymore.

“Show yourself,” they ordered the empty room, their voice echoing for a brief moment before it was swallowed by the rhythmic whirring of the machinery in the back wall.

“You learn fast,” said a familiar voice. In the next instant the elder Cerin rose out of the ground a few feet in front of them, looking like she’d seen hell. Her hat was askew, her hair a mess, her eyes barely visible, and most worrying, both once-white gloves were stained red. Her right hand was pressed firmly against her cheek, and the younger Cerin could see blood oozing from in between her fingers, dripping onto the ground. Her other hand hung loosely at her side, but the knuckles of her gloves were flecked with more blood that was quickly turning brown.

“What happened?” demanded the younger Cerin, horror creeping into their voice.

The eldest siren’s lips twisted into a hateful snarl. “That conniving maggot got me while my guard was down. Stabbed me with an icicle and warped away in an instant. You have to tell the others.” As she spat this out she peeled her hand away from her face, giving her younger counterpart a full view of the damage; there was a long gash under her right temple that reached down her face, crossing over the corner of her mouth and continuing down her chin. The flesh around the laceration was oozing and turning black.

“Lucky she missed my eye,” she growled as she slapped her hand against the wound again, wincing slightly at the impact. “I’m sure that was what she was going for.”

It took a moment for the younger Cerin to remember their words, they were so disgusted by the wound. “That looks _awful_ \--we need to heal you, or at least stop the bleeding—“

The elder Cerin held up her other bloody hand to stop them mid-sentence. “Don’t bother. I’m going to see the Shadow Queen. I’ll tell her that Beldam turned her back on me and fled the Palace. The Queen will heal me. I just thought you all ought to know what happened first.”

“You’re sure?” said Cerin worriedly, watching more of the eldest siren’s blood seep through her saturated right glove to pool on the floor. “What happened to your other hand?”

“This?” Her left hand clenched. “That blood’s not mine, kid. Look, just go and tell the others the rat’s out of her cage, probably miles away from the Palace by now. I have to visit the Queen before I bleed out.”

“Wait,” Cerin said suddenly, remembering at once their conversation with Lillian. But before they could finish saying the single word, the eldest siren had vanished into the shadows beneath her. She was gone.

“Dammit,” Cerin muttered, quickly covering their mouth. Tank’s vulgarity was rubbing off on them. They turned and forced themself through the crack, finding the secret room completely dark. The candle had burned out long ago, but their vision was surprisingly clear despite the total darkness. Another Shadow Siren perk, if they had to guess. The outlines of Vivian and Marilyn, both fast asleep in similar positions as the last time, burned in the darkness; Vivian was laced in a fiery red, Marilyn a golden yellow. They approached Vivian and shook her awake.

“What’s going on now?” she slurred, rubbing at her eyes.

“I saw Cerin,” they said, feeling weird addressing the eldest siren by her name. Their name. “Beldam ripped open her face with an icicle and escaped.”

Vivian stared at them, eyes wide, one hand finding its way to her mouth. “Wh—what??”

Cerin shrugged. “That’s what she told me just now. She’s going to see the Queen to get patched up.”

“Oh my god,” Vivian murmured, half to herself, as she dragged her fingers through her hair. “How could she have let her escape—I thought she was gonna—“

A snap of her fingers set the candle ablaze again, washing the room in a dim light that nevertheless made Cerin flinch and squint, trying to adjust. Vivian rose, muttering to herself.

“She might come back, she must have some last resort, she’ll kill us all if she gets the chance—“ She nudged Marilyn, who stirred and sat up, one hand held in front of her face to block out the direct light from the fire. Vivian signed something to her quickly and she made a very loud, very sudden noise that made Cerin’s heart jump into their throat.

“It’s okay, though, it’s okay,” Vivian said out loud, signing something else. Cerin approached and Marilyn looked at them, only to suddenly snatch them up in a bear hug. Cerin’s breath came out of them in a whoosh and Vivian cracked a small smile in spite of herself.

“Don’t kill them, Marilyn,” she chided softly. The lightning siren hung on for a moment more and then sat them back down on the ground. “See?” Vivian continued. “We’re fine, we’re all fine. For…for now.”

The sudden tension in the room was the furthest thing from comfortable. Vivian withdrew, anxiously knotting her fingers. Cerin could tell her oldest sister was on her mind and couldn’t help but feed off her nervousness, yanking at their gloves. Marilyn leaned against the wall, carefully tracing a finger around the various cuts and scrapes on her arms. Vivian was turned in such a way that Cerin could see the bruise on her cheek they had given her a couple days ago. It was faded enough to not pop out the way it had before, but still plenty noticeable. They felt another twinge of guilt and wondered what they’d be doing right now if the Queen hadn’t come back, if none of them were wrapped up in this mess. This notion was sweet for all of four seconds when they realized that they wouldn’t know who the elder Cerin was, nor Lillian, nor Beldam, and especially not the Shadow Queen herself. Ms. Mowz would still be manipulated by Lillian, and Lillian manipulated by Beldam. Whatever Beldam’s original plan was, with its complexities involving preemptively breaking the seal on the Thousand Year Door and raising the dead, might have come to fruition without anyone there to stop it. Maybe…they self-consciously ran their fingers through their bangs, sweeping them slightly to the left. Maybe, despite everything that had gone wrong and would continue to go wrong, maybe it was better this way.

Just as they thought this the elder Cerin rose out of the ground and staggered to lean against a wall, blood flying with the sudden movement. Marilyn and Vivian both gasped and rushed to her.

“Bad news, kids,” said the eldest siren gruffly. Her right hand was still firmly pressed against her wound, which Cerin could see was still bleeding freely.

“What happened?” they demanded, approaching her. “I thought the Queen would heal you!”

“So did I,” she grunted. Marilyn offered a hand and she took it, leaning on the lightning siren instead of the wall, as Vivian looked around the room for something. “Wouldn’t you know it, she was upset with me for allowing Beldam to beat me that easily. Furthermore, she’s beside herself with rage that Beldam turned on her and I could do nothing. My job now is to track her down and kill her." She gave a quiet hiss of pain through her teeth. "I’m doing an excellent job so far.”

“But why wouldn’t she heal you? It wasn’t your fault she attacked you, how could you have known?” Cerin protested.

“It caught me off guard too, kid,” said the elder Cerin. “Maybe she’s catching on to us. Maybe she’s just in a foul mood. Regardless of why, the fact is that this cut isn’t deep, but it is bleeding far too much for my liking.”

“I’m not sure we have anything that can stop the bleeding,” said Vivian worriedly. “I mean, I guess we can use our gloves, but…”

“Don’t bother,” said the elder Cerin. “If you want to make yourself useful, get ready to cauterize.”

“What?!” said Vivian loudly. “I—I can’t do that!”

 Cerin had no idea what the word meant, but it sounded painful, and judging by the fire siren’s reaction, probably not what she expected to hear.

The eldest siren sniffed. “And you call yourself a Shadow Siren. But fine, perhaps that is an extreme solution.”

“I have an idea,” said Cerin, reaching into their hat and pulling out the map that they hadn’t even thought about in days. It was a miracle the thing had stayed in after all they’d been through. “It’s not much, but…”

“It’ll do,” said the wounded siren as Vivian reached out to take the folded up map. The elder Cerin peeled her hand away from her face—Cerin saw with revulsion that the blackened skin around the wound seemed to have spread a few millimeters out-- and Vivian stuck the paper onto the gash.

 The elder Cerin locked eyes with the younger. “You. Can I call you Junior? I’m going to call you Junior. Find Lillian, tell her what happened, and bring her here.”

“Where is she?” asked Cerin, unsure if they approved of the nickname but knowing that this wasn’t the time to argue.

“Don’t know. Probably around Riddle Tower, that’s where she was often posted when she wasn’t out burning and pillaging.” The corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a smile, but it quickly faded as she winced in pain with the movement. “I’ll be _damned_ if I bleed to death without seeing my wife again.”

“You won’t bleed to death,” said Vivian, but over her shoulder she tossed an urgent look at the younger Cerin. Without further prompting they sank into the shadows.


	12. Penultimate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all right this one's just gonna be fucking huge then  
> the next chapter's the final one (plus an epilogue) so hopefully it feels like things are wrapping up. sorry for this one being so dialogue-heavy but certain character interactions are fun as hell to write and i get carried away. whatever, enjoy

Finding a siren in the expansive darkness of the Palace of Shadow was more of a daunting task then they’d been prepared for, Cerin thought with a little bitterness, watching with trepidation the Chain Chomps stationed around the courtyard. They’d already run around the Palace like an idiot, risking getting found by the Queen’s forces, and after fighting a Swoopula and a green ghost-like creature that reminded them of Keelhaul Key, had instead elected to lurk around Riddle Tower in the vain hope that Lillian would eventually turn up. This meant that they had to share the area with the Queen’s Chain Chomps, though, and that made them nervous. They sat on the lip of the moat with the abnormally clear water inches behind them, staring at the Chomps as they bounced around aimlessly. There were two of them, each chained to a post on either side of the bridge, and they clearly never stopped moving. Cerin had grown sick and tired of the constant banging of their steel bodies against the ground and the incessant clanking of the metal chains twenty minutes ago. But simply looking at their gaping maws full of teeth longer than Cerin’s arm proved to be a powerful deterrent, as they didn’t want to move and draw attention to themself. The Chomps evidently weren’t very intelligent, as they didn’t seem too agitated at Cerin’s presence, and they assumed they recognized them as just a Shadow Siren, not necessarily a traitorous one, an abnormality. But they had no doubt the steel creatures would lunge at anything that wasn’t native to the Palace of Shadow. Even imagining it gave Cerin heart palpitations.

They were paying close attention to their surroundings besides the damnable Chomps, too, paranoid that one of the Queen’s minions would catch them off guard. Or worse, she was busy creating more Shadow Sirens, ones that were actually loyal to her. They’d much rather take their chances with a nosy Swoopula than a newborn Siren…though they weren’t sure if they feared fighting a Siren or the Chomps more.

“Hurry up, Lillian,” they muttered under their breath. With every passing moment the elder Cerin grew weaker…maybe they should go search for her again. But they were already at enough risk just being out in the open here and wandering around had proven to be really dangerous…they growled in frustration and ran their fingers through their hair. Why didn’t sirens have some kind of distress signal? They didn’t want to run through the halls screaming Lillian’s name, but with the weight of the eldest siren’s fate on their shoulders, they’d really rather be doing anything other than sitting here with these stupid Chomps.

Their mind made up, they shuffled off the raised edge of the moat. The nearby Chomp turned toward them at the motion and they flinched reflexively. They hadn’t yet checked the deeper parts of the Palace, but that was because the Queen herself was really only a matter of rooms away. Given how this mission had been going so far, they were quite willing to bet that Lillian was somewhere in there, maybe even stationed right outside her door. A shiver raced through them.

They shuffled past the Chomp, which stared at them through its flat, seemingly unblinking eyes, but didn’t move much more than it had been. They steeled their nerves as they crossed the bridge and bypassed the Chomp on the other side, coming to a stop right outside the door that led to the depths of the Palace. Every instinct was screaming at them not to do this, if even one of the Queen’s minions saw them it would be over. But they had to make an effort to grant what may be their older counterpart’s last wish. They placed a trembling hand on the door and inhaled shakily.

“Halt!”

They let out an undignified noise that sounded more like a squawk than anything else and whirled around, shadow hands stretching out of the darkness at their tail. The thing that had accosted them was _weird_ , to say the least. Its purple body was ovular and split horizontally in the middle; the two halves didn’t appear to need to be attached. It had beady, purple eyes that also moved independently of each other, though along a black marking on its face that resembled a narrow H. It had four three-fingered, floating hands that never seemed to sit still and purple antennae-like things sticking out of its head like horns. Despite its fairly organic-sounding voice, its movements were jerky and unnatural, and as it approached Cerin heard quiet but audible clicking and whirring. As creepy as it was, it didn’t seem hostile, and they reluctantly dissipated the hands before they were able to truly form.

“Might I assume that you’re going to see the Queen?” inquired the thing. Cerin didn’t answer immediately, looking it over. Maybe they could pretend to be the elder Cerin…? They cleared their throat, readying it to speak in a voice as low as they could manage. “What business of yours is it?”

“I meant no offense,” said the thing quickly, holding its hands up. “It’s simply that your skills are desperately needed elsewhere.”

Oh no. What was a Cerin-like thing to say? “Are you telling me you can’t take care of it yourself?” they rasped.

“These are dire circumstances, Your Darkness.”

Cerin snorted with laughter and feigned a coughing fit to cover it—was that really her official title in the eyes of the Queen’s lesser minions? The thing continued, “There’s a rogue Siren running recklessly throughout the Palace, attacking us—we don’t know why. We require someone of your caliber to subdue the rogue.”

Cerin turned away and yanked the brim of their hat down, afraid the thing would see their change in expression. They were being hunted already. As their mind raced, desperately searching for a way to blow the thing off, it seemed to slow down and peered at them inquisitively.

“Short stature,” it muttered. “Short black hair…black hat…”

Cerin froze, their fingers still on their hat. No, no no no no…

“You…match the description perfectly! You’re not Her Darkness, you’re the treasonous siren!” the thing exclaimed. Its eyes glowed and Cerin ducked out of the way of the laser that whizzed past and connected with the wall inches behind them, breaking the brick into pieces. The impact sent them sprawling and they put their hands out in front of them, trying to avoid faceplanting into the stone floor. They ended up whipping their hat off and rolling, glancing up at the thing to see when the next attack was coming.

A horrible idea crept into their mind, one that made their stomach turn over. But they decided that they were desperate enough to try it despite their aversion. They jumped up, approaching the thing as they brushed their hair out of their face. “I’m sorry,” they muttered as they made full eye contact, feeling exposed and powerful all at once. The thing’s movements slowed again as it gazed into their naked eyes; the wild gesticulating of its four hands stopped and its own eyes glazed over.

A thrill of disgust swept over them as they realized what they had to do next. They took a deep breath, trying to calm themself and quash the mingling feelings of revulsion and prideful dominance. “Would you do me a huge favor?” they said in their normal voice, but they tried to carefully mold their tone into something different. Something sweet…something irresistible.

Slowly, the thing nodded, only its top half moving.

“Excellent,” they purred. Then they stopped, recoiling in loathing at the sound. Oh, god, _they_ had been making that sound. They gritted their teeth for a moment; they were finally getting somewhere, they needed to push through.

“Would you happen to know a siren by the name of Lillian?” they asked innocently. “Taller than me, long green hair?”

The thing stared at them wordlessly, so they said, “I’d like a verbal answer, please.”

“No, but I can find her,” the thing said in a monotone.

“Good. Find her and bring her here, immediately. And, uh, if you could, it would make me _so_ happy if either you or her brought me medical supplies. Bandages and stuff like that. Okay? And hurry, please.”

Then they offered their victim a teasing, satisfied smile, letting go of its head and taking a few steps back. It immediately rose several inches in the air, the faint mechanical noises got louder, and it rushed away, probably at its top speed. It threw open the door leading to the Queen and slammed it shut forcefully. Cerin waited a few more moments, shaking their hair back into their face and retrieving their hat. Then they sank onto the floor, trying to process what just happened…what they just _did._

Maybe they lost track of time, so enveloped in their own conflict, but when the thing returned with Lillian in tow it felt like it was only a few minutes later. They looked up to see the thing had a roll of bandages in one hand and the same unfocused look in its eyes. Lillian followed, eyeing the thing warily.

“You’re controlling that Dark Wizzerd,” she said in a tone Cerin couldn’t quite pin down. Maybe it was awe, maybe it was accusatory.

“Yeah, can we talk about that later?” they said in a harsher tone than they’d intended, beckoning the thing forward and holding out their hand expectantly. It dropped the bandages into their hand and they turned to Lillian. “Cerin’s in a bad way—everything’s a mess. She wanted to see you, she’s in the secret bunker.”

Lillian tensed at their words. “Wh—what happened? Which bunker?”

“The one that’s nearby those empty rooms that repeat,” said Cerin, hoping the older siren would know what they were talking about. It was crystal-clear to them; the Palace had an interesting string of plain and identical hallways each with four entrances. Clearly it was designed to confound intruders, as taking the wrong exit would lead them back to the first room, not that there was any indication which was which. They snapped out of it and hissed, “Hurry!”

Lillian nodded, sinking into the shadows. Cerin followed suit, leaving their Dark Wizzerd victim alone in the courtyard.

-

Cerin reunited with Lillian outside the telltale crack in the staircase, looking beside herself with worry. “Please tell me what happened,” she said, her voice quiet and panic-stricken.

“Beldam,” said Cerin simply, pressing the panel into the wall and forcing a small amount of darkness through their hand to unlock the room. “She attacked her and escaped.”

“How bad is it?” asked Lillian, wringing her hands.

Cerin thought of the rotting flesh around the wound and grimaced. “It’s nasty. She’s bleeding a lot and something’s wrong with the skin.”

Lillian moaned quietly, both hands over her mouth. The two sirens watched anxiously as the crack finally opened wide enough for them to squeeze through.

The elder Cerin was lying on her left side, her head supported by her own balled-up hat and Marilyn’s. The two sisters were doing their best to tend to the wound, but they didn’t appear to be having much success, given that the now-bloodied map was still stuck to Cerin’s face and little else seemed to have changed.

“Cerin,” gasped Lillian behind the younger siren, and she brushed past them to drop at her wife’s side. They tossed her the roll of bandages and she caught it without looking, peeling off the ruined map and then unrolling the bandages and carefully applying a swath to the wound.

“Lilly,” the elder Cerin groaned. She weakly raised a hand, the glove missing, to cup the plant siren’s cheek. “God, I missed you so much.”

“I m-missed you too, darling,” sniffled Lillian, using her other hand to wipe her eyes. “Don’t distract me, now…”

The eldest siren leaned back with a heavy sigh as Lillian continued dressing the wound. The younger Cerin quietly moved closer to Vivian, who placed her hand on their shoulder. “Will she be okay?” they whispered. Vivian nodded.

“It’s been too long,” the elder Cerin said quietly. Her eyes were visible through her hair, half-closed.

“I know,” said Lillian, barely above a whisper. “Fifty years…d-did you know they’re not hunting us on the surface anymore?”

“That’s unimaginable. What’ll happen if more and more sirens start cropping up? They’ll think it’s an epidemic.”

“Cerin! There aren’t any more of us and you know it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought until Junior came along.”

Lillian looked over her shoulder at the younger Cerin, who shrugged. Turning back to her wife, she said incredulously, “You nicknamed them Junior?”

“Rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it? Much better than Cerin the Second.”

For a moment Lillian was silent, but she eventually broke into small giggles, and from there erupted into a laughing fit. The elder Cerin’s mouth twitched, but she only lasted a second before she also burst out in relieved laughter. The two sirens embraced, still laughing, and then their lips met. For an extended period of time. The younger Cerin uncomfortably averted their gaze, seeing Vivian do the same.

After several solid seconds of silence, Marilyn cleared her throat, and through Cerin’s peripheral vision they saw the two older sirens break apart. Lillian awkwardly brushed her hair back into her face as the elder Cerin looked down at the ground; there was a definite blush on her cheeks.

“It’s been fifty years,” she said defensively. “Do you blame us?”

Marilyn shook her head but pointedly tapped her wrist.

“Fine, I suppose we are on a time limit,” she grumbled. Lillian pulled her into a laying position on the floor, cradling her head in her lap.   

“You’re tired, sweetheart,” the plant siren said quietly. “You need rest.”

“I can rest when I’m dead,” said the eldest siren grumpily, but she didn’t resist.

“Don’t you dare say that,” scolded the plant siren.

“We need a plan,” insisted the elder Cerin. “Beldam’s gone, the Queen’s unhappy with me and won’t be doing me any favors.” She used her bare right hand to run her fingers along the bandage. “How did things go so south?” she muttered, staring at Lillian.

“We might still have a chance,” the younger Cerin broke in, earning the undivided attention of both elder sirens. “Lillian, remember that person you were controlling when you worked for Beldam?”

“What?!” said the elder Cerin loudly, sitting up to look at Lillian accusatorily. Lillian pursed her lips and pushed on her wife’s shoulders so she lay back down. “You worked for Beldam?!” repeated the eldest siren in a scandalized tone of voice.

“Only for a couple of years,” said Lillian, averting her gaze. “It was…I thought she could help me get you back…it was so naïve of me to think so, I should have known better than to trust—“

The elder Cerin quietly shushed her, placing her hand back on her face. Lillian leaned into it gratefully. “It seems we have a lot of catching up to do,” said the oldest siren.

“Yeah, I remember her,” said Lillian to the younger Cerin. “What about her—is she okay?”

“Better than okay. She’s running around stealing the Crystal Stars from the Queen,” said Cerin excitedly.

“She’s doing what?” said Lillian at the same time the elder Cerin sniffed, “That’s impossible.”

“It’s not,” said Vivian quietly. “She says she already has one…she showed it to Cerin. It was only a few hours ago.”

The elder Cerin seemed to be ready to retort when she suddenly fell silent. “Perhaps that’s why,” she murmured.

“Why what?” asked Cerin.

“Why the Queen was so cross with me for returning to her with bad news, of course,” she replied snippily. “Really, Junior, use your head.”

Lillian shook her head sadly. “She’s going to get herself killed. The Squeek, I mean. If the Queen finds out, she won’t show any mercy.”

The elder Cerin nodded stonily. “Exactly. Sorry to say, but your thieving friend is as good as dead. We can’t rely on her.”

“Then who can we rely on?” asked Cerin sharply. “You’re out of commission, Lillian can’t do anything from the inside, Beldam’s just gone, and the rest of us will be killed on sight!”

“I’m aware of that,” the wounded siren retorted.

“Why can’t we just put our trust in her?” demanded Cerin, feeling Vivian’s grip on their shoulder tighten warningly but ignoring it. “She already has the Gold Star, and when the others come back we can use it to our advantage!”

“Others?” repeated the elder Cerin. “You can’t possibly mean that ragtag group that came with you. That party’s doomed to fail.”

A wave of heat rolled over Cerin; it took them a moment to realize it came from Vivian. She said sharply, “We managed to beat the Queen last time!”

“We?” Now the eldest siren fixed her accusatory gaze on Vivian, and she flinched slightly. Even so, she went on, “Two years ago Beldam resurrected the Queen…I helped that ‘ragtag group’ defeat her. We can do it again, even…even without most of the Crystal Stars.”

“You’re sure?” said the elder Cerin dryly. “You don’t sound like it.”

“Honestly, Cerin, leave the poor girl alone,” Lillian admonished her wife. “She’s just trying to make the best out of a miserable situation, and this might be our only chance to fix things.”

Vivian flushed for some reason.

“All right, all right, fine,” grumped the elder Cerin. “But I want to know everything about what happened last time. Who was with you, how you managed to defeat the Queen. She can make herself invulnerable if she so chooses to, how did you get around that?”

All sirens listened with rapt attention as Vivian described the final battle: the Shadow Queen had possessed the beloved princess of the heroic Mario, and they were forced to fight her. Then the Queen abandoned her vessel to fight them in her true form, which was invincible, until the Crystal Stars themselves intervened. They returned to their origins across the land, gathering the well-wishes and cheering of the people the group had met along their journey, thus weakening the Queen to the point she could be damaged and giving them all a boost in strength.

Vivian had made it sound like an enormous triumph, but the elder Cerin didn’t seem very impressed. “So that Mario man was the bulk of your power as a group. And not only that, but you only won because you had all the Crystal Stars.”

“W-well, I, uh—“ Vivian stammered, but the wounded siren cut her off.

“We’ll be lucky if we have even one Crystal Star in our hands by the time push comes to shove. And your Mario character isn’t in the picture at all.” She crossed her arms. “Forgive me if I sound pessimistic, but I see no reason why we should even begin to delude ourselves by thinking we have a chance.”

Vivian shrunk away, head down, pulling at the wrists of her gloves. Cerin practically felt her dismay and embarrassment pulsating off of her and scowled, clenching their fists.

“Darling,” said Lillian pointedly. “You sound passive. Complacent. Do I need to remind you that the two of us can’t be together while the Queen is alive?”

“I know that,” said the older siren with slight exasperation. “But—“

“Are you saying you’d rather not put in the effort to overthrow the Queen so we can be together?” continued the plant siren. Cerin raised their eyebrows at her tone; she didn’t actually seem truly upset despite the insinuation.

“Lilly, for god’s sake, we’ve been together for almost a thousand years—“

“But no more!” said Lillian melodramatically, throwing her arms out. “For today, my wife of almost a millennium has decided that overthrowing our tyrannical mother is too much work!”

“Oh my god, Lilly,” groaned the elder Cerin, putting her head in her hands.

“Oh, if only my beloved wife loved me enough to bother fighting the murderous empress who made us,” Lillian lamented, tossing her head backward and throwing her hand palm-up against her forehead.

“Lilly, please! You know I love you!” said the elder Cerin. The younger saw a faint blush rising to her cheeks and cracked a smile despite themself.

“I know, sweetheart,” said Lillian, cupping the uninjured side of her face. “In seriousness, though, this isn’t the time to sit around. Even if it seems impossible, we have to try. We’ve lived through plenty of things we thought we couldn’t, right?”

“Most didn’t,” said the elder Cerin gravely.

“That’s not the point and you know it! Stop being so obstinate!” Lillian paused to collect herself. In a quieter, more pleading tone, she said, “Please, Cerin. This is…this is worth the risk, isn’t it? I know you’re trying to be smart about it, but…things have changed. We were dealt a terrible hand, but we have no choice but to work with it.”

The wounded siren gave a long, defeated sigh. It was several moments before she spoke again. “I suppose you’re right…who am I kidding, you’re always right.” She wearily turned back to Vivian and her younger counterpart. “Fine. Let’s be optimistic and say your thieving friend survives. We have the Gold Star, your troupe of non-siren friends, and that’s it. One Star isn’t enough to break the invulnerability spell she’ll surely cast on herself the moment she realizes she’s being attacked.”

“How many do you think we’d need?” asked Cerin.

The eldest siren shrugged. “Common sense would indicate we’d need them all. But truthfully, I’m not sure. I wasn’t around either time she was defeated, so I have no frame of reference.”

“Wait, you weren’t around when the Four Heroes—“

The elder Cerin cut Vivian off, shaking her head. “I warned the Queen ahead of time that they were out for her blood, but she laughed me off and sent me away, convinced that they were no threat. Had I been there…” She shook her head again, this time to clear it. “It doesn’t matter.”

There was a loud banging noise through the wall, and everyone except Marilyn jumped. Lillian cursed and the elder Cerin protectively pressed her hand against her wounded cheek as she growled, “Someone knows we’re in here. Non-siren, otherwise they’d be here with us already. You three, go out there and _investigate.”_

Knowing better than to disobey an order from the oldest and wisest siren, Cerin obeyed, waiting until Vivian had nervously signed the command to Marilyn and the lightning siren had retrieved her hat before heading out, shadows at the ready.

The intruder was very plainly a short-statured human with a large hammer in his gloved hands, adorned in red and blue. Something about him seemed familiar to Cerin, but they pushed the thought aside and summoned the shadow hands, putting on an unamused scowl. It took him a moment to notice them, as he prepared to be winding up with his hammer to slam the room again.

“State your business,” they said as dangerously as they could manage, hoping to intimidate the newcomer at least a little bit. Instead the man laughed.

“You don’t scare me, Slick, I’ve seen your kind before.”

“Who are you?” demanded Cerin with more force, this time stretching the hands to be three times as tall as they were.

“What? You mean you losers don’t recognize the famous Mario when they see him?” said the man in an outraged tone of voice. “Man, this place really has gone to hell.”

“You’re…Mario?” Cerin took a minute to process this. The way Vivian had talked about him, she had made him sound like a hero…they weren’t getting any heroic vibes from this guy. But the poster she’d had in her room of the play starring him…he looked identical, right down to his mustache and plain brown boots.

Before they could say anything more Vivian and Marilyn emerged out of the shadows next to them, fingers alight with flame and sparks respectively. Vivian gasped. “Mario?! Is it really--“

“Viv, baby!” Mario said loudly, sidling up to her and offering his hand. “It’s been too long!”

Vivian recoiled from his hand and glowered at him from beneath her hat. “Oh, it’s _you.”_

“Shut it,” said Mario with a frown. “Down here, I’m Mario, okay? I’m doing this for your sake, why don’t you show a little respect?”

Vivian huffed, crossing her arms. “Don’t act like you’re doing me a personal favor, Doopliss.”

“It’s Mario!” snapped the man. His eyes roamed to Marilyn, to whom he offered a shrug. The corners of her lips pulled into a slight frown, but she didn’t do anything else.

“Ah, I see everyone’s acquainted,” came another voice. Ms. Mowz stepped out of the shadows, standing next to the Mario impersonator with a self-satisfied expression.

“Ms. Mowz? You’re behind this?”

“In a manner of speaking,” said the Squeek thief. “Doopliss—I’m sorry, _Mario,_ was already on his way here as soon as the sky went dark.”

The man nodded emphatically. “Yeah! I’m tired of just playing the part of the legendary hero, even if that life’s pretty great. Now I can actually do a good thing by being the hero! Besides, the Shadow Queen’s gonna kill all my fans if I let her.”

Vivian had put her head in her hands at his words. Ms. Mowz gave her and Marilyn an apologetic half-smile before continuing, “He’s better than nothing, isn’t he? He’s versatile, anyway…not as strong as the real Mario but capable of doing much more.”

“Hey, I can be as strong as him!” retorted the man, crossing his arms. “Look, I know you guys think I’m stupid or something, but mark my words, I’m gonna carry this team with my abilities.”

“I’m sure,” Vivian muttered, reluctantly glancing up from her hands and giving Ms. Mowz a pleading look.

 “So when are we gonna make the first move?” asked the impersonator, impatiently shifting the hammer in his hands.

 “Not for a while,” Vivian admitted. “Ms. Mowz, the Queen knows you’ve stolen the Star from her, and she’s furious. Not only that, but Beldam’s escaped…you could say we’re at a severe disadvantage.”

The faux Mario gave a forceful, barking laugh. “Oh, please! The good guys are always at a disadvantage. Remember when I took the real Mario’s body? The odds may have been stacked against him, but he still found a way around my curse and beat me. And you,” he pointed accusingly at Vivian, “helped him do it.”

Cerin remembered the snippets of the story the others had told them, remembered how they mentioned a monster had stolen Mario’s body and identity, and it all began to fall together.

“I...I guess,” said Vivian hesitantly, wilting under the sudden attention this stranger was giving her.

“Yeah, exactly! The heroes always find the bad guys’ one weakness and use it against ‘em, right? Well, we’re the heroes now and we’re gonna beat the Shadow Queen into the dirt!”

Cerin exchanged a perturbed glance with the two other sirens; the imposter (his name was Doopliss, right?) took no notice of their less than enthused expressions. He asked brightly, “So, what’s the plan?”

“We don’t have one,” said Vivian blankly.

“Yeah, well, who needs a plan?” Doopliss retorted with a sly grin. “Tell you what, Mowz and I can head back up and tell the others to get down here. We can all rush the Queen at once!”

“Let’s not be hasty, now,” said Ms. Mowz quickly as Vivian groaned, Cerin cringed, and Marilyn’s palm met her forehead.

“We need to be adaptable first and foremost,” the thief continued. “While I also think that it’s about time we get moving and stop waiting around, going kamikaze will not be to our advantage.” She turned to the sirens with an unreadable expression. “We strike tonight. The others know, they’re recuperating still but will sneak down here in twelve hours. In the meantime, keep this one out of trouble.” She subtly pointed her nose at Doopliss.

“But we don’t have a chance!” Cerin cut in before Vivian could respond. “How can we win with only one Crystal Star? We’re not ready, we…we might never be.”

“That’s exactly why we have to go now,” said Ms. Mowz seriously. “We have an opening and we’re going to take it before it’s too late.” She nodded to Doopliss. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“When am I ever rash?” replied the impersonator cheekily. Then he vanished in a purple puff of smoke. When it cleared he was an entirely different person, a bedsheet-ghost looking creature with a silly-looking bowtie, wizard hat, and black eyes with glowing red pupils. His true form, if Cerin had to guess. The juxtaposition between his childish outfit but disturbing eyes unnerved them thoroughly, not that they had any room to talk.

Vivian took a deep breath in and out before she next spoke. “Okay, Ms. Mowz. You prepare the others…and we’ll inform ours.” She turned to Doopliss, frowning. “You’re about to meet the most powerful Shadow Siren in existence. She’s wounded badly and her very concerned and very protective wife is watching her closely. _Please_ don’t do anything to piss either of them off.”

“Gotcha,” said the ghost. The front of his ‘sheet’ had two conspicuous ripples in it, as if he had a pair of invisible hands that raised the edge of the fabric. He drew one of these faux-hands horizontally across his mouth in a lips-zipped motion.

Vivian relaxed slightly and waved Ms. Mowz off; the Squeek melted into the shadows as if she, too, were a Shadow Siren. Marilyn had crossed behind them and now opened the secret door, pressing her hand into the panel with a quick, crackling surge of electricity to unlock it. Doopliss watched with fascination as the crack began to widen.

“So you said Beldam was gone?” he asked Vivian innocently.

“Yes…don’t you dare mention that around Cerin, though. She was in charge of Beldam when she hurt her and escaped…I have this feeling she’s more bitter about it than she’s letting on.”

“So Cerin’s the ultimate siren,” said Doopliss. “All right. Who’s this one, then?”

Cerin could tell without looking that he was pointing at them and averted their gaze. Vivian said awkwardly, “Uh, that’s…also Cerin.”

“What.”

“It’s a long story,” said Cerin reluctantly. “We’re kind of the same person, but also not. It’s like…I’m part of her so she’s also part of me…? I have a fragment of her soul, and…”

“Is all of that a normal thing for sirens?” said Doopliss with obvious confusion. “I never heard anything like that when I was an honorary Shadow Siren.”

“I’m a special case,” said Cerin dryly. “Call me Junior if that’s any easier, the other Cerin already does.”

Doopliss made a “snrk”-ing noise of barely contained laughter. Cerin was thankful that the crack had opened enough for them to slip inside, because they didn’t want to hear the ghost’s next remark.

“We have some not so great news,” said Vivian nervously as the three sirens plus Doopliss entered the secret room. The elder Cerin and Lillian were both reclined against the rightmost wall, and both looked up curiously at her words. The wounded siren realized with a jolt that there was a stranger in her midst and scrambled to put on her hat.

“Who is that,” the elder Cerin growled when she was appropriately dressed.

“Uh, hey—“ began Doopliss, immediately earning himself a pointed glare from Marilyn and shutting up.

“This is…” Vivian sighed. “His name is Doopliss and he’s on our side. He’s not the problem, though. The others have decided they want to make their final move tonight…”

The elder Cerin humphed, turning away. “I assumed as much. There’s strength in numbers, I suppose…I may not be in the best shape of my life at the moment, but I’ll be there.”

“So will I,” agreed Lillian immediately. “Oh, I’m Lillian and this is my wife Cerin,” she said to Doopliss. “Uh, I’ve never seen anyone who’s looked like you before…what are you?”

“Me?” said Doopliss, drawing himself up proudly. “I’m a Duplighost, ma’am. A shapeshifter. I can copy the forms of anyone I see and use their abilities. We’re not from around here, so I’m not surprised you’ve never seen one of us before.”

“A shapeshifter,” repeated the elder Cerin thoughtfully. “Might prove to be useful…though I’m not sure how.” She scrutinized him for a moment before turning her gaze back to Vivian. “How do you know he can be trusted?”

Before the fire siren could answer, Doopliss jumped in. “I heard you got beef with Beldam.”

Vivian groaned with exasperation and Lillian’s entire body tensed, but the elder Cerin said calmly, “You could say that, yes. Why?”

“So do I,” said Doopliss with a frown. “You see, two years ago when Vivian abandoned her sisters to save the world with Mario, they picked me up to replace her. Marilyn can verify, right, Mary?”

Vivian reluctantly signed the message to the lightning siren, who scowled but nodded anyway before replying. Vivian translated, “She asked you very politely not to call her Mary.”

“Yeah, so, anyway, Beldam lost her punching bag in the form of Vivian when she left. So I became the target for all her abuse. It was pretty terrible, and I was only with them for, like, two weeks.”

“So?” said the eldest siren blankly.

“So we have some common ground!” said Doopliss. “We all hate Beldam, and we’re also all here to stop the Queen!”

The elder Cerin looked unimpressed, so Vivian said, “For what it’s worth, I vouch for him…he’s spent the past few years working with one of our close friends.”

The wounded siren gave a long-suffering sigh. “I miss the good old days when you didn’t have to put your trust in strangers. You _knew_ they were all out to kill you regardless of what they claimed.” She fixed Doopliss with a stony glare. “Fine. But one wrong move and Lillian will tear you apart and feed your guts to her Piranha Plants. I’ve watched her do it to people more powerful than you.”

“Understood,” said the Duplighost quickly, eyes widening a little. He caught Lillian’s eye and she gave him a tiny smile as she cracked her knuckles.

“Now that we’re all on the same page,” said Lillian broadly, “I think it’s best if we all rest up. We don’t have much time if we really are ending this tonight…and some of us have wounds to heal from.”

“Lillian. I’m fine. Stop fretting,” said the elder Cerin flatly, still maintaining her glare at Doopliss.

“Yeah, well, the rest of us are pretty wiped out,” said the younger Cerin. The wounded siren turned her harsh gaze on them instead, but Lillian looked sympathetic. “Hungry, too,” they added for good measure.

“See? At least _someone_ here has a good head on their shoulders,” said Lillian teasingly, poking lightly at the grumpy elder Cerin’s upper arm. She turned to look at Doopliss and made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go, this is a siren-only area. Meet us outside the Door when night falls.”

“How am I supposed to know when it’s night?” Doopliss protested, even as he turned his back to them to squeeze through the entrance. “It’s always dark, both down here and on the surface!”

“Do you not have clocks anymore?” sniffed the elder Cerin contemptuously. “Kids these days. Go rendezvous with the rest of your troupe on the surface or something. And you better pull your weight when we do start fighting,” she called after the Duplighost as he slipped away. “I won’t accept any less than your best effort when you’re out there!”

She turned away and sank into Lillian’s arms, muttering inaudibly to herself. Lillian shushed her, taking her hat back off and running her fingers through her wife’s black hair. Vivian’s hands found their way to the younger Cerin’s shoulders and they leaned into her touch gratefully, closing their eyes. It was just so hard to believe this was happening.

“I have a job to do, sweetheart,” Lillian was saying quietly. “Please, get some rest. I need to find them some food…I promise I’ll be back soon.”

She looked up and met the eyes of Vivian and Marilyn; Vivian nodded solemnly. “We’ll take care of her.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of like some child,” snapped the elder Cerin, but there was no venom in her words. She seemed more drowsy than anything. Lillian planted her lips on her forehead and moved away, toward the entrance. “I’ll hopefully be back shortly with food for you all. Keep my Cerin out of trouble.” She slipped away silently.

The younger Cerin settled themself against a wall with a sigh, feeling exhaustion suddenly ache in their bones.  They watched through half-lidded eyes as Marilyn and Vivian signed to each other; the lightning siren nodded and vanished into the shadows. Vivian sank to the ground, exhaling heavily. The elder Cerin had given up her façade of perpetual, unflappable toughness and was flat on the floor, out like a light. They envied her. With a quiet grumble they flopped onto their side, cursing the hard wood beneath them as they rested their head on their hands and willed the exhaustion to take over quickly.


	13. Finale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy halloween in honor of my favorite holiday i'm wrapping this up today  
> may or may not post the epilogue today, depends on how deep i'm entrenched in homework/executive dysfunction, but if not today i'll post it soon so check back

The shuffling of movement pulled them out of their fitful slumber with all the grace and dignity of someone clawing their way out of their own grave. Cerin sat up, muscles taut as they stretched, yawning so hard tears formed at the corners of their eyes. With a heavy sigh they reluctantly wiped their eyes on the back of their hand and squinted at the room; all the sirens were crowded in, Lillian and the elder Cerin in each others’ arms, Vivian and Marilyn having what looked like a heated conversation as they vigorously signed to each other in between taking bites of mushroom. Immediately spurred by the promise of food, Cerin stood up, flexing their back and wincing as it popped.

“Evening, Junior,” said the elder Cerin, turning the injured side of her face toward them as they rose. She must have changed her bandage, as it was surprisingly white and clean looking despite the severity of the wound it covered. She tossed them a mushroom over her shoulder, and they caught it and immediately stuffed as much as they could into their mouth. The elder Cerin raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.

“Soon we’re going to go collect the others from the surface,” said Lillian, looking pensive.

Cerin nodded, looking back at the sister sirens. Marilyn seemed to notice them and pointed, causing Vivian to turn around and offer them a small smile. They couldn’t help but smile back, but self-consciously they stopped and shoved the rest of the mushroom in their mouth. It was gross, but it was food, and the less time it spent on their tongue the better.

Lillian and the elder Cerin were muttering quietly to each other. The younger thought at first that they were conspiring with each other, but then they watched the elder Cerin tenderly trace her hand along Lillian’s jawline and looked away, wanting to give them their privacy. The final battle was upon them, and if the elder Cerin’s theory was right, one of them was going to disappear, assuming they both survived the ordeal. They’d made up their mind, but that didn’t mean they had to like it…they’d grown to enjoy life and living, surprisingly enough, and they didn’t think they were ready to stop existing…even if they were nothing more than just an accident.

They made their way to Vivian and Marilyn; the fire siren beckoned them to sit down next to her, which they did, leaning on her shoulder and feeling her heat flow into them. Marilyn gave them a sad smile, and they again wished that they could communicate with her effectively. If they somehow ended up not disappearing entirely, they would be sure to learn as much as they could from her.

Time passed. They spent most of it with their eyes closed, meditating, sometimes drifting in and out of sleep, feeling Vivian’s warmth pulsate through them. They picked their head up when they heard movement and saw Lillian and the elder Cerin rising, hand in hand.

“It’s time,” said the wounded siren gravely.

Cerin heard Vivian swallow hard, but the three sirens got up as well. Vivian’s hand found theirs and squeezed it.

“Do you think she suspects anything?” asked Lillian when the five sirens exited the room for the final time.

“I doubt it,” said her wife. “It’s possible, but unlikely. The element of surprise may be our saving grace, so don’t blow it,” she said pointedly over her shoulder to the other sirens. Marilyn elbowed Vivian, who translated hesitantly; the lightning siren rolled her eyes.

The five sirens warped to the entrance of the Palace, both out of speed and to avoid detection by the Queen’s minions. Their numbers were beginning to populate nearly every one of the Palace’s rooms, which didn’t bode well for the stealth of the intruders. How they were going to get the non-sirens, who lacked warping capabilities, through the entire Palace without giving the Queen advanced notice of their coming, Cerin didn’t know.

They reached the entrance; the inside of the Thousand Year Door was no less imposing than the outside, and Cerin felt the familiar waves of anxiety wash over them at the sight. They wished they could see the surface world one last time before they met their presumed demise, but it couldn’t be helped. Lillian approached the door, placing one hand on it and causing it to swing open from the inside. The chamber containing the Door was empty, and Cerin took what might be their final opportunity to look at the rest of the world. They’d never imagined they would miss the gray stone and crumbling columns of the chamber, but here they were.

“Do we just wait here for them to show up?” Vivian asked, her voice echoing through both the Palace and the stone chamber.

“Sure, why not,” said Lillian, shrugging. “They should be here soon, assuming they haven’t abandoned us.”

“They wouldn’t,” said Vivian firmly. “Not ever.”

True to her word, it was only another few minutes before there were footsteps breaking the chamber’s silence, and all six adventurers plus an untransformed Doopliss emerged, looking alive and determined.

“Who’s ready for round two?” said Tank, grinning at the congregated sirens. “I know I am!”

“Keep it down, kid,” hissed the elder Cerin. “This is a stealth mission.”

“Yeah, okay, sorry,” said Tank, holding his hands up. “Uh, no offense, but you’re the one who was just made by the Shadow Queen, right?”

“Yes,” said the wounded siren flatly. “You don’t need to worry about where my allegiances lie.” She pointed to the bandage on her face. “I got this from Beldam. Need I say more?”

“Nope,” said the Yoshi in an almost chipper tone. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all of that.” He caught the younger Cerin’s eye and flashed them a grin. He looked so much better than the last time they’d seen him. They couldn’t help but smile back, relieved.

Lillian clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. Speaking in a commanding tone of voice, she said, “Okay, everyone. Our goal is to be as fast yet as quiet as possible. We do _not_ want the Shadow Queen knowing we’re coming ahead of time. That means we need to dispatch every single one of her minions that sees us, and there’s a lot of them by now. Move quickly, don’t be seen, and if you do, destroy whatever saw you.”

The non-sirens exchanged concerned glances and mutterings. Hearing the plan spoken out loud, Cerin couldn’t fault them for being apprehensive. They needed all their strength for this upcoming fight, not to waste it on the Queen’s lesser minions. But there didn’t seem to be any way around it.

Until Doopliss said above the buzz of conversation, “Hey, I have an idea!”

The room went quiet, the Duplighost earning the unmitigated attention and suspicion of everyone except Flurrie. She smiled kindly and said, “What is it, dear?”

Doopliss grinned, a sneaky gleam in his eye. “Alright, so, if we want to get through without being seen as intruders, let’s just not be seen!”

He vanished in a puff of purple smoke, causing those nearby him to cough. A green bat creature with long fangs was standing where he stood, examining its own wings. He continued, “I can blend in with the enemies no problem. As for the rest of you, though, you’re gonna need their help.” He brandished one of his wings at the congregation of sirens. Cerin frowned, thoroughly confused, but Vivian beside them snapped her fingers.

“That’s right! I haven’t used that ability since traveling with Mario, I forgot we could do it.”

“Do what?” demanded the elder Cerin as Vivian brushed past her to the front, next to Doopliss.

“We can pull others into the shadows with us to hide. Like this.” Without a warning she grabbed the Swoopula and yanked him into the shadows pooling at her tail, leaving no trace but a small dark circle on the floor. A few seconds later they both reappeared, Vivian letting go of Doopliss and the Swoopula nervously flexing his wings.

“Yeah, so, that’s the plan,” he said, giving Vivian a wary side eye. “I’ll scout the areas ahead and let you guys know if you need to hide, yeah?”

“There’s no way this is going to work,” the elder Cerin growled, at the same time Goombella said to Doopliss, “Hey, genius, there’s six of us and five of them!”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” said Ms. Mowz, appearing suddenly next to Goombella and winking at her. “I am a master of sneaking through dangerous territories undetected. I don’t need an escort. No offense intended,” she said this time to the elder sirens, looking Lillian boldly in the eye.

“None taken,” said Lillian in a half-questioning tone. “I’m, uh…glad to see you’re doing well, and…I’m so sorry for—“

“We’ll have time to discuss that later,” said the Squeek, waving her off. “Focus on the task at hand first.”

Cerin turned suddenly as they felt a presence beside them. It was Tank, giving them a broad smile. “You up for haulin’ me out of trouble?”

“Sure.” They hadn’t been aware they could drag others into hiding when they veiled themself, but it didn’t sound too complicated to pull off.  Their apprehension faded slightly; something about Tank’s boisterous attitude eased their nerves. They looked around at the others; Goombella and Vivian had paired together and were making small talk. On the other hand, there was Marilyn and Koops, who both seemed to be content to not speak. The elder Cerin had reluctantly partnered with Bobbery, but the old Bob-omb had said something to her that had made her crack a smile for an instant. Flurrie and Lillian were also exchanging quick words. Everyone was accounted for, Cerin realized as they watched Ms. Mowz suddenly disappear from sight, and a moment later Doopliss as the Swoopula took to the air, beating his wings hard to keep himself airborne.

“Let’s go, people,” he called to the congregation below him, and the rebel forces moved out.

They were silent as they traveled, out of necessity as they needed to hear Doopliss’s shouted warnings. But as they walked Cerin got the idea that everyone was more nervous than they were letting on, even if some of them were able to hide it better than others. Tank walked with a swing in his step that would have fooled Cerin into thinking he wasn’t apprehensive at all, if they hadn’t been sticking close to him and watched how his eyes darted suspiciously around the dark rooms of the Palace. They looked at their older counterpart, too, and watched as she subconsciously rubbed the bandage that covered her wound and pulled at the wrists of her gloves, an action that they found themself repeating without even thinking about it.

Despite all odds, Doopliss’s plan seemed to be working. They weren’t bothered by any enemies, and while Cerin felt _odd_ holding Tank within the shadows, where they couldn’t see anything and could only feel his heartbeat pulsate through the endless darkness, the Glitz Pit champ didn’t seem to be any worse from the ordeal. It was clear that non-sirens were not able to move through the shadows, so they couldn’t move at all when veiled, but the imposter Swoopula was able to deflect the various enemies to other parts of the Palace so the rest of his team could move. “Acting!” he said triumphantly on one occasion, causing Flurrie to laugh.

They reached Riddle Tower. Cerin relaxed for all of half a second when there was a horrible barking noise punctuated by the aggravated banging of steel on stone. A gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth as long as their arm came lunging at them and they screamed, instinctually summoning a shadow hand to uppercut it at the same time they backed away so quickly they almost fell over. They were only steadied by a pair of hands on their shoulders, and they watched, heart pounding, as Bobbery rushed in to silence the Chain Chomps before their barking alerted the entire Palace to the intruders’ presence.

“Jeez, dude, you okay?” asked Tank, releasing them from his grip once they’d caught their breath. They felt heat rising to their face as they realized almost everybody was staring at them; the elder Cerin and Bobbery were busy attacking the Chomp, but everyone else was looking at them in concern. Self-consciously, they pulled their hat lower over their face and muttered to Tank, “I _hate_ those goddamn things.”

“That’s fair. But watch your goddamn language,” Tank replied, snickering. Cerin felt that his laughter was less at them and more with them, so they relaxed minutely. They watched as the elder Cerin used her shadow hands to whip an exploding Bobbery at the other Chomp from the opposite side of the bridge and felt much better.

“Let’s go,” said Doopliss impatiently as he took to the air again, leading them across the courtyard and into the depths of the Palace.

The deeper, darker rooms of the palace of Shadow were devoid of minions. The sudden emptiness unsettled them all; Cerin noticed the group draw closer together. There was just something wrong about the Shadow Queen being completely unprotected; then Cerin remembered that Lillian and the elder Cerin were probably the ones supposed to be doing the protecting, as the strongest of her servants. They hadn’t missed the two sirens in question inch closer and clasp their hands together.

“In there is the throne room,” said Lillian suddenly, stopping Doopliss a moment before he opened the final door after a series of long, empty hallways. Cerin remembered the throne room, remembered the beasts Beldam had summoned to kill them all, and couldn’t suppress a shiver.

“So?” said Doopliss.

“So,” said the elder Cerin slowly, “we’ve almost arrived on the Queen’s doorstep.” She turned around to face the others, her face dark and deathly serious. “Who wields the Star at the moment?”

“I do.” Ms. Mowz parted the crowd, the Gold Star in her hands.

“Good. The Gold Star’s primary power is to give its user a boost in power. It’s a good place to start, at least, but we still don’t stand a chance without the other Stars.” She sighed, looking at all the faces gathered before her. “Just…try to stay alive. Don’t stand still, don’t waste your energy on her while she’s invincible. You’ll know when you can hurt her.” She paused, reading their expressions. “Best of luck to you all. I wish…we could have met under better circumstances.”

“We can talk after the fight, can’t we?” asked Goombella.

The wounded siren said nothing, and the younger Cerin screwed their eyes shut. None of the non-sirens knew…

“Yes,” said the elder Cerin at length. “I suppose so.”

She turned away, pointing at the door. Doopliss had transformed back into his imposter Mario form and pushed it open; it groaned in protest. They filed through, finding the room empty and the throne itself still toppled over, revealing the hole in the wall that led to the crypt. The only trace of the previous fight were hairline fractures lining the floor—the group went out of their way to avoid stepping on them.

Cerin felt the premonition they’d felt last time weigh heavy on their shoulders and in their stomach. They balled their fists as the group approached the secret tunnel and squeezed through one by one. This was a death march. They let Tank pass first, falling in line behind him and watching him shiver slightly at the chill of the stone corridor. Maybe it was just their imagination, but they thought it was darker than last time…not that it mattered to them. They began the descent down the seemingly endless flight of stairs, watching in trepidation as the candles along the wall stopped glowing a soft orange and started shining purple.

“Hold nothing back,” the elder Cerin’s voice came through the darkness, like the low growl of a wounded animal.

“We got this!” said Tank confidently. “For Gonza—I mean, for Mario, and Peach, and everyone who’s ever needed a hero!”

His rallying cry got a quiet but by no means subdued rumble of agreement, and Cerin smiled in spite of themself. The bottom of the stairs came closer and closer, with Lillian and the elder Cerin leading. The two sirens paused at the door—quick as a flash Lillian drew her wife into a passionate kiss, then broke away and threw the door open.

No sooner had the entrance to the crypt been opened than Ms. Mowz suddenly tore through, vanishing into the darkness, but Cerin trained their eye on her and watched her scale the sleek brick walls with all the ease as if she were walking up a slight incline. How she did that was beyond them. As the intruders flooded through they turned their gaze to the Shadow Queen, feeling some instinctual part of them flinch away, but instead of dwelling on that they summoned a pair of shadow hands. The Queen watched; though her eyes weren’t visible it was clear she was unamused.

“What is the meaning of this,” she said, her voice powerful, sickening. It wasn’t a question.

“Come and get us!” Tank suddenly bellowed. He picked up a chunk of rock that had been lying on the ground and chucked it at her; it bounced harmlessly off the swirling darkness that made up her body. She turned on him and her eyes flashed, but by that point he had darted away and her spell crumbled only the stone he had stood on a second ago. Incensed, she raised her hands as the others fanned out around her, ready to strike.

“Be this treason?” she said, leveling an icy glare at Lillian and the elder Cerin, who stood beside each other and in front of her, backed by a snarling tangle of Piranha Plants and shadow hands fifteen feet tall. “I give you both life and this is how you repay me?”

“We owe you nothing,” declared the elder Cerin. “There are things more important than serving you!”

“Such insolence from my most trusted servant. Unimaginable.” The Queen’s eyes flashed again, firing a spell at the two sirens, but they vanished into the shadows without a trace, reemerging in synchronization a few feet closer. They were stalling, they all were—Cerin scanned the walls for a sign of Ms. Mowz but had lost her in the dim light. If the room were any darker, their night vision would probably kick in, they thought. But it hadn’t, so in the meantime they inched closer to Tank, unable to shake the feeling that they’d need to hide him from sight soon.

“I grow tired of these games!” the Shadow Queen suddenly snapped, the harshness of her voice making Cerin cringe. “All of you are fools to oppose me. I will ensure your deaths are painful.”

“You gotta hit us to kill us!” Doopliss-as-Mario bragged, leaning casually on the handle of his hammer. When the Queen’s eyes flashed he had somersaulted away, completely unharmed. The Queen gritted her teeth, and Cerin shuddered as a horrible feeling came over them, settling in the pit of their stomach.

“Take cover!” someone shouted—the elder Cerin, probably, given that she broke away from Lillian and tackled the person nearest her, who turned out to be Koops. The two vanished into the shadows. Understanding, Cerin lunged for Tank, pulling him by his ankles into the darkness too. They waited there for a moment, two, three—the hair on the back of their neck stood up, as if some evil force had washed over them in a wave, then was gone. They felt it safe to release Tank back to the surface, who gave a full-body shiver all the way to the tip of his tail.

“Thanks, man, but warn me next time, will you?”

“I’ll do my best,” they said, finding a weird comfort in exchanging such casual banter with the Shadow Queen twenty feet away. The others seemed to have survived whatever pulsating power the Queen had unleashed—except the fake Mario, who looked slightly battered but was still standing. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, Slick!” he laughed, using one of his gloved fingers to tug down his eyelid as he stuck out his tongue.

“Insolent little worm!” the Queen snapped, the shadow hands hovering around her body clenching. But then she visibly relaxed, glaring at the faces surrounding her. “I know not why you refuse to attack, but your inaction will be your final mistake.”

One of the hands turned palm-up, fingers like claws, and clenched slowly. The shimmering, multicolored outline of a star shape faded into view, and Cerin felt a thrill of excitement. They watched with anticipation as, slowly, the glittering Crystal Star appeared in her hand, an emerald green that reminded Cerin of vibrant plant life…and whatever portion of their soul that belonged to the elder Cerin connected it to Lillian, too. They glanced at the plant siren across the room but then turned away. That was weird.

The moment the Emerald Star was solid Ms. Mowz dropped down from the ceiling, snatched it out of the Shadow Queen’s hand and scampered away.

 _“WHAT?!”_ the Queen roared, the room quaking. Cerin froze; her anger was palpable and sent their instincts into momentary panic before they got a grip. The others were cheering and Cerin spied both Stars circling in the air above the Squeek thief, interacting with each other. They had a chance after all—they caught Tank’s eye and mirrored his almost manic grin.

“I have no need of the Crystal Stars to defeat insignificant mortals like you,” snarled the Queen viciously, using one of her hands to swing at Goombella and Koops, who both dodged, but barely. “Your stamina can only last you so long.”

She had a point, Cerin thought, watching the others as they reconvened. The Queen seemed to be trying to keep an eye on them all simultaneously, but it meant she wasn’t attacking. If she wasn’t going to brandish any more of the Crystal Stars, this was effectively a stalemate until she got lucky and picked them all off individually. The thought made their stomach flip over. How could they goad her into exposing more of the Stars? She’d have to be desperate…

The glowing of the two Crystal Stars caught their attention—they circled Ms. Mowz, following her despite her erratic movements as she danced out of the way of the occasional blasts of magic the Queen fired. The gem’s colors were growing brighter, they thought, unsure if they were imagining it. Then, suddenly, a bolt of what almost looked like lightning shot out of the two Stars, striking the Queen in the core—she gasped in pain, and so did Cerin.

“Whoa!” said Tank, turning to look at Cerin with a shocked expression they knew they also wore. “Did that just—“

Cerin didn’t hear how his sentence ended, too busy summoning their powers to deflect an enormous chunk of rock hurtling through the air at his head. It bounced off the hands that formed the X barrier they’d grown so accustomed to, but their powers dissipated a split second after, and they released a hiss. The Queen’s anger sent throbbing pulsations of _something_ through the room, causing them to grit their teeth and fight to stay standing.

“You okay, dude?” asked Tank, completely unaware they’d just saved his life. They nodded despite the motion making them dizzy. Why were they always so _weak?_

Again the Stars fired, but this time the Queen seemed to have braced herself for the attack, and it had no effect. She cast an unamused glare around the room but didn’t make another move. Cerin groaned, their head swimming. They had broken out in a sweat now, their stomach churning—to their horror a hand shot out of their shadow toward Tank, but at their frantic attempt to seize control of it, it dissipated before it could touch him. The Yoshi had noticed. His gaze went from the ground to the young siren, eyes wide in confusion.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, sounding legitimately concerned. He took a step forward and Cerin backed away as fast as their quaking body would allow them. Their back hit the wall with a thump that rattled their brain.

“Stay away from me!” they demanded, wincing as another shadow hand emerged, thrashing and writhing along the ground before they forced it to melt away. The effort made them feel ever weaker, and they clung to the wall, their fingers finding no purchase on the sleek stone. “I don’t know what’s happening, I’m losing control—“

“Keep it together,” Tank urged, fortunately not getting any closer, though it looked like he wanted to. He broke his gaze away from Cerin to look at the rest of the room, gritting his teeth. “Just keep calm, man, I’m gonna go tell what’s-her-face.”

“She’ll know soon enough,” mumbled Cerin under their breath. The Yoshi had raced off, quick as a flash, and they sank to the ground, their hands meeting the crypt’s stone floors. There was a slight ringing in their ears and they fought to keep their eyes open, their heart sinking as they realized they were surrounded by a ring of flickering black flames. That only happened when they were enraged…they squeezed their eyes shut and put every ounce of remaining energy into dissipating the ring of shadow, almost collapsing with the effort. They were so drained from such heavy, sporadic use of their powers…they’d been panting slightly but closed their mouth, afraid they’d throw up.

Someone was calling their name and they turned their head slightly to the noise. “Don’t come any closer,” they tried to yell but it instead came out in a quiet wheeze. They felt a presence beside them and they forced open their eyes, recognizing the elder Cerin stooped down to be at their level.

“I’m g-gonna hurt you,” they moaned, their arms trembling with the effort of holding them up.

“Doesn’t matter,” she grunted, offering a hand. Shakily they took it, and the older siren hoisted them upright. The nausea subsided just a little bit, though they still felt faint and unsteady, unable to help leaning on her.

“What’s wrong with me?” they moaned into her shoulder.

“I don’t know, kid, but—“ she cut herself off and hissed through her teeth as one of Cerin’s shadow hands reached out and clawed at her other shoulder. They tried to pull away but she held them close, and they were too weak to break her grip. The hand vanished and both Cerins breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

“You shouldn’t be near me, you should—“ The ringing in their ears suddenly increased in volume and their words died, only returning a few seconds later when the noise fell away. “—be with the others, fighting the Queen.”

“Junior. You’re dying.”

They picked their head up off their shoulder to look at her in the eyes, shocked to see a pained grimace contorting her lips. They blinked a few times, unsure if they’d heard her right.

“That’s what it feels like, yeah, but…how can you be sure?”

“I have a theory. I was wrong about one of us disappearing along with the Queen…well, I mean, I was right about that. But I was wrong that it could be either of us, as I feel fine. But you don’t.” She inhaled deeply. “I think the Crystal Stars recognize you as an anomaly, something that shouldn’t exist. When they’re actively using their own power, they’re trying to drag the offensive part out of you…the part of you that’s me.” She turned her gaze to the pair of Crystal Stars, hanging in the air above Ms. Mowz still as the Squeek thief dashed around, avoiding what few attacks the Queen launched at her. The elder Cerin turned back to the younger, her teeth digging into her lip. “Fighting it is killing you. Using all seven Stars at once will surely erase you from existence…but we need them all to defeat the Queen. There’s no other way around it…I’m sorry.”

This wasn’t how they’d expected to go. “Does Vivian know?”

The elder Cerin shook her head, unsurprised that had been their first question. “No one except us, kid. Though they’ll realize it soon.”

They summoned all their remaining strength to fight their way out of the elder Cerin’s grip. She didn’t resist this time, dropping her arms to her sides. They were breathing hard as they looked her in the face again, and she reached up one of her hands to brush her hair out of her eyes. The gesture struck them—she’d never bare herself like this for no reason. She hadn’t been kidding.

“I have a final request,” they said shakily, forming a plan that they were sure she could guess.

Their elder counterpart nodded. They told themself that they were just imagining the wetness in her eyes. “Anything.”

“Tell the others…to stand back.”

“That’s it?” She dragged the back of her hand across her eyes.

“You know what to tell Vivian.”

She nodded solemnly. “I suppose I do. Be strong, kid…we’re counting on you.” She turned her face away and rubbed at her eyes again, but she wasn’t quick enough to catch a tear before Cerin saw it roll off her cheek and hit the floor. “You’re worth more than this, Cerin. It’s not fair that this had to happen to you…I’m so sorry.”

“It’s what an anomaly deserves.” They shrugged and forced a smile, pretending not to notice how the oldest siren winced as if she’d been stabbed. “Look after them for me, please.”

They waited for the elder Cerin to nod and slip into the shadows beneath her before they took a deep breath, spread their arms out, and stopped fighting to regain control of their powers. The rippling black fire burst around them the moment they relaxed. Six hands erupted out of their shadow, stretching fifteen feet tall each. The illness faded, or at least it was pushed to the very back of their mind by the feeling of overwhelming, incomprehensible power. A wicked grin split their face without them consciously changing expression. They approached the Queen, slowly, flanked by the hands on all sides. The power was pouring out of their eyes now, they could feel it—they imagined they probably looked like Beldam, how the eerie white glow washed out her own eyes. If this is what she felt using whatever dark magic she taught herself…no wonder. It was intoxicating in the worst way.  Their hands were twitching and jumping of their own volition…it was consuming them. They only had so much time. They jerked their head upward to look at the Queen and reveled in how her mouth had fallen open. Time slowed and the sounds of battle around them grew distant, easily ignorable. Nothing remained to them except the demon before them.

“Your reign ends here,” they said, their voice booming and echoing in the chamber much as the Queen’s did. Their deranged grin widened as the six hands all rushed the Queen at once. She let out a howl of pain as they reached for her core, seizing and ripping at it, her own hands tugging uselessly at the shadowy imitations—she shuddered and the five remaining Crystal Stars burst out of her, flying in all directions like a meteor shower of glittering gemstones. Their pulse thundered in their ears so loudly that they barely registered the noise like shattering glass as the Queen’s invincibility was broken. She was firing spell after spell directly at them, but they felt no pain even as each one connected with their body, blistering their skin.

There was a commotion behind them, but they didn’t break their gaze from the Queen, not even when a portly man adorned in red and blue threw himself at the demon, striking her core with a hammer. It wasn’t Doopliss, they noted absently, seeing the other human out of the corner of their eye with the mother of all shocked expressions—they would have laughed if they could move their lips. The others were holding nothing back, rushing the Queen all at once, bombarding her with attacks she couldn’t defend herself from. The seven Crystal Stars, freed from the Queen’s grasp, began to swarm in the air, circling their former master like flies, and they knew it was over. They might have braced themself for the impact if they could move at all, but instead they faced the coming surge of ancient power head-on, not even blinking as the brightest light they’d ever seen enveloped them, crashing over them like a massive tidal wave. With it, their power washed away.

They came to in indescribable pain, so much agony they couldn’t even scream, feeling as if something in their own core was writhing, fighting to break free. They could tell they were lying on the cold ground of the crypt, their muscles seizing up and trembling involuntarily, their skin broken and bleeding from the Queen’s attacks. The sounds of battle had faded away to background noise. The face of a human swam in and out of focus, and they had just enough rationality left to squeeze their eyes shut before they induced any accidental infatuation. The human had long, golden hair and a pretty face that was pulled in concern for the second they were able to see it. There looked like there had been some kind of shiny object on their head, and they were dressed in rosy pink.

“What’s happening?” said a voice they didn’t recognize, high pitched and feminine. They had been expecting someone else to answer, but no one else spoke. They summoned all their remaining strength (there wasn’t much left) and wheezed, “I’m being erased from existence. No big deal.”

“Can I do anything to help?” There was a sudden warmth in Cerin’s hand. The human must have slipped hers into their own, just as Vivian had done so many times before. They shook as another surge of pain wracked them, biting down on the scream that threatened to escape so hard that they tasted blood from their lip. “No,” they gasped when the pain ebbed after what felt like an eternity. “No, there’s…there’s nothing anyone can do.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

“Cerin. Are they winning?”

“The others, you mean?” The human paused, presumably looking at the Queen from afar. “I…I think so, yes. You’re sure I can’t…ease your pain?”

“You’re welcome to try,” they grunted before seizing up again. The thing in their core was lashing desperately, it was as if their guts were trying to carve their way through their abdomen—then suddenly the pain lessened. Not enough for it to be ignored, not nearly, but enough that they could take a moment to gasp for air. Against their better judgement, they opened their eyes, seeing the human with her own eyes closed, concentrating. There was a faint, shimmering aura around her…either they were hallucinating, which wasn’t unlikely, or this human had magical powers of her own. Regardless, they appreciated her effort, even if it was all for nothing in the end.

“Thank you,” they muttered, finding the strength to reach one of their hands up to their face to brush their hair into their eyes. The human opened hers, and they saw they were a stunning blue like the ocean. She gave them a bittersweet smile in return. “You poor thing…how did this happen?”

“It’s a long story.” They sighed, the pain eating away at them, but it felt detached somehow. “I’m an accident…not supposed to exist. The Crystal Stars are just trying to fix the mistake.”

Their words wiped the smile from the human’s face. “That’s terrible!”

“It’s true,” they groaned, feeling the lashing sensation again and shuddering. They didn’t know how much longer they could stand to hold on, even with this human’s mysterious powers dulling the pain.

“Nobody is placed on this earth by mistake,” the human said firmly. “That’s what I believe. You’ve helped defeat the Shadow Queen—that’s an amazing feat. You’re no mistake, you’re a hero!”

She was just trying to be comforting in their final moments, they knew, but they still glanced away, feeling a surge of pain that for once wasn’t from the angry movement in their core. “Who are you, anyway?” they asked, their voice just barely above a whisper.

“Me?” She chuckled quietly despite the situation, a melodious noise that almost made Cerin want to smile. “My name is Peach, though you might know me as Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“Oh.” That would explain the glittering object on her head, then…it was a crown. Their knowledge of Mushroom Kingdom politics was understandably lacking, though they had a feeling they were being far too colloquial in the presence of royalty. They considered taking their hat off before they realized it had somehow ended up halfway across the room, and also that moving their arm sent pain shooting throughout their body as if they’d taken a saw to their own shoulder instead.

“You sound…younger than the others. Are you?” The princess offered them another sad smile, one full of pity, that they couldn’t bear to look at. They glanced away again, but said, “Yeah. You could say that.”

“For such awful things to happen to someone so young…” The princess sounded sad at first, but Cerin could practically feel the determination in her last syllable, as if her gentle aura had slid away to reveal a core of steel, powerful, unyielding. “I won’t stand for it.”

They were about to ask her what she meant when the pain returned full force, crushing them under its weight—they opened their mouth to scream and no sound came out. Their guts were writhing, burning, there were tears rolling down their cheeks, they could do nothing but gasp pitifully. Vaguely, as if they were watching it happen instead of having it happen to them, they saw people surrounding them—at first it was just Vivian and Princess Peach, but then they saw Marilyn, Tank, Lillian and the elder Cerin, all nursing wounds but focused entirely on them. Their hearing had failed them, instead replaced with the ringing noise that had been plaguing them constantly. They watched in silence and blurry vision as Vivian took their hands in hers, tears of her own streaming down her cheeks—they ached to tell her something, anything, but their words failed them. The elder Cerin gave them a broken smile that looked more as if she were fighting back a scowl of intense pain. Lillian buried her face in her wife’s shoulder, her own shuddering. Tank was saying something through gritted teeth, though they couldn’t hear it…they hoped it was something encouraging.

Then Mario appeared—they could tell it was him and not Doopliss, his movements seemed much more purposeful and there was a kindness in his eyes that the Duplighost lacked. No wonder Vivian had hailed him as a hero. He seemed confused more than anything, but somebody must have explained as his eyes widened and he brought a hand to his mustache, as if deep in thought. Peach had closed her eyes, both hands clasped to her chest. They struggled to breathe, feeling as if their lungs were rapidly filling up with water. The thing in their core gave a final, forceful lurch, and it ripped away with a fiery sensation that coursed through what remained of their body. A bright pink light enveloped them, and they closed their eyes against it, to no effect—it was just as bright.

And they were gone.


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the epilogue, please go back and read chapter 13 "finale" if you haven't already
> 
> and it's done halle fucking lujah  
> this was a hell of a ride, thank you to everyone who came on this wild ass journey with me. i hope you had as much fun as i did.  
> i'm gonna eventually make this a part of a series i guess, given that i have a chronological prequel but spiritual sequel ready to be posted and a very very tentative actual sequel in the works, i'm not yet sure if it'll ever come to fruition but i like what i have so far.   
> feedback as always is much appreciated. i'm more than happy to answer any questions about literally anything, add a comment or shoot me a message at hyenaklaws.tumblr.com if you want to get a hold of me. thank you all so much!

 All was darkness, an unending void of shadows that never stood still, only pierced by bright lights that hung suspended in the air. It was so familiar it stung, yet so alien they couldn’t relax, not even a moment. The chilly air itself hissed at them no matter what they did. They ran, starving, panicked, isolated.

On this endless night a gemstone hovered in front of them, red as blood, shimmering in the dim light. It was yet another thing that seemed so achingly familiar, as if they were face to face with the relics of their own past life. The gem burned with a fire that was so close they could almost taste it, yet it was so, so utterly far away. When they reached out a gnarled hand to touch it, it seared their fingertips and they leaped back with a snarl—and then everything came back in a rush. They remembered everything—the Palace, the Queen, the Stars—

Their hands were shaking harder than they ever had before. Their jaw had fallen open as they gaped at the Ruby Star in the center of the Creepy Steeple’s foyer. The artifact caught the moonlight as it was scattered through the stained glass windows of the Steeple, floating above them in the musty air. They were naked, their gloves and hat long missing, their eyes exposed for all to see, though the Boos that were usually hanging out in the foyer were nowhere to be seen. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from the Star, though they knew it had no answers.

“Why?” they asked, in a voice that hadn’t been used for days or maybe weeks—they had no idea how long they’d been wandering the Steeple’s empty halls. Their voice quaked and rasped like old stone gears, trying to turn but getting stuck and eventually crumbling under their own weight. They sank to the floor, head in hands, feeling unbidden tears leak from their eyes to course down their cheeks and land with quiet splashes on the dusty ground. They felt their blood rushing through their veins, could hear their own heartbeat, listened to the quiet hiss of their own breathing. It hitched suddenly, and before they could comprehend what was happening they were sobbing loudly, leaning forward and pressing their hands to the cold stone floor, feeling it leech away at the heat they were radiating. The wind outside was whispering through the skeletal trees that surrounded the Steeple, and through one of the windows they could see the moon, bathing the pine forest in its light, its domain the sky stained deep red and purple like a watercolor painting. Through it all the Ruby Star sat in the air, uncaring.

“What do I do,” they gasped to it between sobs. “Do they remember me? Did…did anything change?” They felt so real, it was impossible…but there was some gaping abyss deep inside of them, and the more they reached for it the more it felt like it spread, like a disease. It hit them.

“My powers,” they whispered hoarsely, reaching out a hand and watching the shadow they cast imitate the motion. But no actual shadow hand emerged. They felt no resistance, no surge of power. They turned their gaze to the Star, more helpless than ever before.

“What good is a Shadow Siren without powers?” they asked, turning over their hands. Hearing their own voice, as trembling and raspy as it was, solidified their existence for themself. They were here, and alive, and _useless_. The tears started again, though they hadn’t really stopped. They glared up at the Ruby Star, its cold passivity their only company.

“Why did you bring me back?!” they demanded, their voice breaking, smashing the overwhelming quiet of the Steeple into a million pieces. “I was better off…everyone was better off.”

The Star did nothing.

They jumped suddenly, the peculiar sensation of being watched sending a chill sweeping down their spine. They squinted across the room to the double doors that led outside. A shadow was lingering in the doorway, the moonlight from outside outlining in silver the pink curls that cascaded down her shoulders. Though her eyes were hidden in the shadow the brim of her hat cast over her face, they knew she was looking straight at them.

“Vivian,” they breathed. Then, louder, “Vivian!”

They rose, hardly registering their own movement as they rushed to her, nearly tackling her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around them and they felt enveloped in a heat that they hadn’t realized they’d missed. She smelled so sweet, so much like home. Neither siren spoke until they pulled away, looking up at her and soothed by her bright smile.

“You remember me.”

“Of course I do,” she said, using one hand to wipe at her eyes while the other fell into place on their shoulder. “It’s…it’s only been a week. We’ve been searching everywhere but couldn’t find you…the Ruby Star led me here.” She paused a moment, her hand falling away from her face. “You don’t…really believe we were better off without you? We missed you, Cerin, all of us.”

Almost guiltily, they looked away, desperate for a change in subject. “Do you know why…” they trailed off. “Why I’m back?”

“You have the princess to thank for that…and the Crystal Stars.” She nodded to the Ruby Star. It had followed them across the foyer and now floated mere feet away. “They got what they wanted from you…the part of your soul that belongs to the first Cerin. Then Princess Peach used her own magic combined with their power to bring you back.”

“But…that means I’m not whole.” They glanced down at their hands. “My powers are gone.”

“When was the last time you’ve eaten?”

The question brought their attention back to the older siren, and they gave her an unamused glare that they forgot wasn’t hidden under their hair. “I haven’t. What does—“

“Peach swore you’d be complete…together, she and the Crystal Stars, and the hopes of everyone in that room, as the Queen fell…”

“Was it enough?”

Vivian shrugged. “Maybe…it’s possible that your powers just quit on you because you haven’t eaten. Let’s go home and fix that.”

Home. The notion made the tension in their body evaporate, even in the face of all that had happened. They nodded, unable to resist smiling. As the two sirens left the Steeple the Ruby Star behind them vanished from view.

-

The sun beat down on the tiny southern island and the ocean’s waves beat against the shore. The small siren brushed their way through the undergrowth, past the protective foliage that formed a barrier around the small clearing deep in the heart of the jungle. It was sweltering, but despite their discomfort, they smiled broadly as they wiped their brow. In a small shack, made entirely of living plants and sturdy wood, sat a small cot-like structure with another siren, similar in appearance to them. She was reading a book as she lounged in the shade, but sat up as they approached and offered them a wry smile of her own.

“Afternoon, Junior.”

“Hey,” they replied, gratefully moving into the shade of the structure and taking off their hat, fanning themself with it. They peered over at the title of her book. “Did you steal that from us last time you visited?”

“More like borrowed it without asking,” said the elder siren nonchalantly, shrugging. “I can give it back, but I just got to the good part…”

“Keep it,” the younger siren said amicably. “Just give it back eventually and without water damage.”

“Deal,” said the elder siren, putting the book down on the cot and stretching her arms and back. “If you’re looking for Lilly, she went out foraging for food and will probably be back shortly.”

They nodded, watching as the elder siren turned toward them, giving them a full view of the long, white scar that ran almost parallel to her jawline, starting from her right temple to her chin, crossing the very corner of her mouth. It was striking, to say the least—it was a once-necrotic wound that even the magic of Princess Peach couldn’t heal completely, despite her best efforts. But the elder siren didn’t seem to mind it all that much. Her hat was nearby, hanging on a string of brambles attached to the inside wall of the shack. Her eyes were visible, not that it really mattered; nobody except other sirens knew the exact location of the secret clearing that she and her wife called home.

“How goes it?” she inquired of the younger siren.

They shrugged. “Nothing’s changed since last time I was here. The Crystal Stars are fine, nobody seems to be messing with—“

 _“You_ , Junior, I want to know how _you’re_ doing,” the elder siren interrupted with a slight laugh.

“Oh!” They offered her a bashful grin. “I’m fine. No weirdness happening here either, my powers seem as stable as they’ll ever be. It’s been months since…you know. Maybe by now we can stop worrying I’ll lose them?”

“We’ll always be worried about you, kid,” said the elder siren. Her tone seemed like it was trying to be flippant, but the way her eyes softened told them she was sincere. Her concern touched them, but at the same time they themself had long stopped fretting about waking up one morning powerless. Their powers had returned to them when they’d first returned to their house in Twilight Town, after they’d had a good meal and slept for twenty solid hours. As they said, that had been months ago. They really felt no different from before they’d supposedly been wiped from existence, other than the fact that they no longer had any snippets of the elder Cerin’s memories. That was a good thing, they supposed, and she had agreed emphatically.

Presently there was a rustling from across the clearing. The plants parted to reveal another Shadow Siren, long green hair reaching down to her waist, carrying a woven basket filled with tropical fruit. She approached as the elder Cerin waved her down and set the basket to the side in the shade, nodding a greeting to the youngest siren and seating herself on the bed next to her wife.

“It’s good to see you,” Lillian said, smiling as she took off her own hat and hung it on the brambles in the wall. “Anything new?”

“Not really,” they admitted, reaching back into their memory in search of something interesting to mention. “The Stars are fine, I’m fine…Beldam’s still gone, I guess.”

Both older sirens both scowled at the name, and the scarred one scoffed. “You and Vivian both waste too much time and energy on her. If she’s not after the Stars again, what she does is none of our business. Let her waste away in the meantime.”

“That’s exactly what she wants us to think,” said Lillian quietly. “But we can’t do anything about her if we can’t find her.”

“I check Fahr Outpost and its surrounding wilderness every chance I get,” Cerin defended themself. “And I spend enough time running around the rest of the continent, checking on the Stars, that I think I’d be able to catch a trace of her, wherever she is…” They shook their head, trying to clear it of all thoughts of the dangerous rogue siren. “Whatever. Did I tell you guys that Tank’s threatening to buy me and Vivian a TV? We’ve told him no, but he’s insisting that we need to see all his title rematches and stuff.”

The elder Cerin sniffed contemptuously. “All these new electronic devices…their usefulness is lost on me. Lilly and I have lived off the land and nothing more for a thousand years, haven’t we?”

“Let the mortals have their fun, sweetheart,” replied the plant siren. “It’s not like technology is a bad thing. They’ve eliminated all sorts of awful diseases over these past several hundred years, right?” At Cerin’s nodded confirmation, she said, “See? It’s just that we don’t have much use for it, being out here on Keelhaul.”

“I can vouch for the usefulness of air conditioning,” said Cerin, wiping more sweat from their forehead and thinking wistfully of home in Twilight Town, away from the blistering sun and suffocating humidity. How either siren was able to stand it here was far beyond them.

“Yeah, well, that’s because you’re soft,” sneered the scarred siren. Her wife swatted lightly at her in response. “Be nice, Cerin!”

“Joking, Lilly, I was joking,” the elder siren protested, holding her hands up in self-defense.

“Maybe you should tell jokes that are actually funny!” Lillian shot back with a playful smile on her face.

“I have _never_ been so insulted,” the scarred Cerin pretended to snarl in outrage. “Someone ought to teach you some respect for your elders!”

“Bring it!”

The younger Cerin averted their eyes in embarrassment when Lillian threw herself on top of the elder Cerin and the two rolled on the cot, laughing joyfully. The two broke apart a few moments later, hair sticking up all over, and Lillian said breathlessly, “Sorry, we’ll behave.”

The elder Cerin was blushing and a smile crept onto the younger’s face despite themself. “Have you always been like this…?”

“Honeymoon phase?” asked Lillian, a coquettish smile crossing her face. “Kind of, yeah. It got much easier when we found this island and stopped having to run and hide from everyone…though our relationship had blossomed some time before…”

“Lilly, please,” groaned the elder Cerin, face in hands. “Don’t tell them about how we—“

“Darling, I’ve been _dying_ to tell someone this story for almost a thousand years,” said Lillian, gently pushing her wife’s shoulder. Then her teasing smile faded away suddenly. “Besides, I…it’s intertwined with the grisly, horrible history of the Shadow Sirens whether we like it or not. And…that’s something they need to know about. They need to understand.”

The drastic mood change from playful to somber put the younger Cerin off slightly, but they were intrigued nevertheless. The scarred Cerin heaved a sigh but nodded, scooting over to the other side of the cot and making a space for the younger. She and Lillian interlaced their fingers as the younger Cerin crawled onto the cot and seated themself, the other sirens having their full attention.

“Okay,” said Lillian, taking a deep breath in and releasing it slowly. “It all started over a thousand years ago, when the Queen was alive and creating servants and soldiers to conquer the land…”


End file.
